DIGITALSECURITYGUIDE How to choose an antivirus programme You know you need antivirus, but with so many from which to choose, how do you know which antivirus software is best? The major certification and testing agencies and websites to see how the antivirus scanners fare include: • VB100% : http://www.virusbtn.com/vb100/index, • Checkmark, : http://www.westcoastlabs.com/checkmark/ • ICSA Labs: https://www.icsalabs.com/products • AV-Test: http://www.av-test.org/ • AV-Comparatives, http://www.av-comparatives.org/ Any antivirus scanner worth consideration should be listed by most of these antivirus testing agencies. Firewall A good firewall allows you to choose access permissions for each programme on your computer. When one of these programmes tries to contact the outside world, your firewall will block the attempt and give you a warning unless it recognises the programme and verifies that you have given it permission to make that sort of connection. This is largely to prevent existing malware from spreading viruses or inviting hackers into your computer. In this regard, a firewall provides both a second line of defence and an early-warning system that might help you recognise when your computer's security is being threatened. Recent versions of Microsoft Windows include a built-in firewall, which is now turned on automatically. Take the following steps to turn on windows firewall: • Open Windows Firewall by clicking the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type firewall, and then click Windows Firewall. • In the left pane, click Turn Windows Firewall on or off. 4 If you're prompted for an administrator