Assignment: Antivirus Software

NOW F OR AN ORIGINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT:Assignment: Antivirus Software

For example, email scanning is a commonly used software tool. All incoming email messages are scanned to ensure they do not contain a virus or some other malicious code. This software can find only viruses that are currently known, so it is important that the virus software be set to search for and download updates automatically. Organizations can further protect themselves by training employees to never open an email attachment unless they are expecting the attachment and know the sender. Even IT managers have fallen victim to email viruses that sent infected emails to everyone in their address book. Employees should be taught to protect their organization from new viruses that may not yet be included in their scanning software by never opening an email attachment unless the sender is known and the attachment is expected. Email scanning software and antivirus software should never be turned off, and updates should be installed at least weekly—or, ideally, daily. Software is also available to scan instant messages and to delete automatically any spam email.

Many antivirus and adware software packages are available for fees ranging from free to more than $25 per month (for personal use) to several thousands of dollars per month (to secure an organization’s network). The main factors to consider when purchasing antivirus software are its effectiveness (i.e., the number of viruses it has missed), the ease of installation and use, the effectiveness of the updates, and the help and user support available. Numerous websites compare and contrast the most recent antivirus software packages. Be aware, however, that some of these sites also sell antivirus software, so they may present biased information.

Firewalls are another tool used by organizations to protect their corporate networks when they are attached to the Internet. A firewall can be either hardware, software, or a combination of both that examines all incoming messages or traffic to the network. The firewall can be set up to allow only messages from known senders into the corporate network. It can also be set up to look at outgoing information from the corporate network. If the message contains some type of corporate secret, the firewall may prevent the message from leaving. In essence, firewalls serve as electronic security guards at the gate of the corporate network.