A Little Virus and Malware Protection.

A Light Punch in the Fight Against Viruses and Malware.

Are you using Windows Vista or Windows 7?  Do you constantly have that box popping up asking your permission to open or run a file or program?  Well, as annoying and tedious as it may be, those little boxes are actually protecting you from viruses and malware.  In Windows this is known as the User Account Control (UAC).  The purpose of the UAC is to block malware for running automatically.  Ideally, if a malware or virus was going to run or install on to your system the UAC box should pop up asking for your permission to continue.  If you are not familiar with the program that is asking permission or it is a program that started on its own, then it is probably best to click cancel.  This may not always be the case because malware and viruses are constantly evolving, and their may be a few that slip between the cracks.

As annoying as this box is every time you want to open something it is a good safety net to catch and stop some malware from infecting your computer.  Windows 7 gives you different levels of UAC protection whereas Windows Vista just gives you the option to turn on or off the UAC.  I recommend leaving it on.  And in Windows 7, it may be best to turn your UAC to the highest setting.  You will get more box pop ups asking for permission to run or open things but, this is your safest option for not getting a virus.  You have to weigh the pros and cons.

Turning on or off UAC in Windows Vista:

1. In the Start Menu, open the Control Panel.

2. Type “UAC” in the search box.  This will bring up a link that says “Turn User Account Control (UAC) on or off”

3. Click the link and make sure that the box is checked (or not checked if you want it off) next to “Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer”

Changing UAC settings in Windows 7:

Windows 7 makes it a little easier because it gives you different levels of UAC security.  This gives you the option of how much protection you want (or how many windows you can tolerate popping up asking for your permission).  Unfortunately, more windows asking for your permission means more protection.

1.  In the Start Menu, type “UAC” in the search box.

2.  Then Click “Change User Account Control Settings”

3.  This will bring up a slider that changes the UAC settings.  Sliding it all the way to the bottom disables the UAC completely.   Sliding it all the way to the top of course gets you the most protections.

This is just a portion of your virus protection.

This by no means should be your only defense against viruses and malware.  I can not stress enough the importance of having a good, up-to-date antivirus program installed.  Even with an antivirus program installed, you need to be actively involved and make sure you update and run scans regularly.  Even if the antivirus program is set to update and scan automatically, I would recommend updating and scanning manually.  Viruses and Malware are always updated first.   So you have to stay on top to be updated as soon as possible and not wait for your antivirus to update later that day.