ICTworks by Inveneo

When it comes to anti-virus software, everyone has an opinion. Most people choose one of the many commercial anti-virus software options, like Kaspersky or Norton, and are quite happy with it.

But there is a major drawback - buying a license only includes one year of updates. Every year the client must pay for new updates, or their anti-virus definitions quickly become outdated and then cannot remove new viruses.

Many clients don't understand the need to pay for updates. They are confused by the need to pay for software or see its cost as too high. Some don't have credit cards, so they cannot pay for yearly updates even if they wanted to. (Typically updates are bought directly from the anti-virus company using credit cards.)

At Inveneo, we usually steer our clients toward anti-virus software that doesn't require paid annual updates.

1. Avast
2. AVG
3. Avira
4. ClamWin (for MS Server)
5. Microsoft Security Essentials (for legal copies of XP/Vista/7 validated on Microsoft's website)

Ultimately, though, it depends on the client. If your client is a bank or large institution, going with a trusted commercial product like Kaspersky makes complete sense. They understand the need for updates and have the means to pay for them.

But what about rural ICT clients? How best to meet their needs? What do you recommend to them?

PandaLabs, the anti-malware laboratory of Panda Security, has produced a simple guide to the 10 most common symptoms of infection, to help all users find out if their systems are at risk:

1. My computer speaks to me: There are all types of pop-ups and messages on the desktop either advertising things, saying that the PC is infected and needs protection… This is a typical, surefire case of an infection. There is either spyware on the computer, or it has been infected by a fake antivirus (also called “rogueware”).
2. My computer is running extremely slowly… This could be a symptom of many things, including infection by a virus. If it has been infected by a virus, worm or Trojan, among other things, which are running on the computer, they could be running tasks that consume a lot of resources, making the system run more slowly than usual.
3. Applications won’t start. How many times have you tried to run an application from the start menu or desktop and nothing happens? Sometimes another program might even run. As in the previous case, this could be another type of problem, but at the very least it’s a symptom that tells you that something is wrong.
4. I cannot connect to the Internet or it runs very slowly. Loss of Internet communication is another common symptom of infection, although it could also be due to a problem with your service provider or router. You might also have a connection that runs much more slowly than usual. If you have been infected, the malware could be connecting to a URL or opening separate connection sessions, thereby reducing your available bandwidth or making it practically impossible to use the Internet.
5. When I connect to the Internet, all types of windows open or the browser displays pages I have not requested. This is another certain sign of infection. Many threats are designed to redirect traffic to certain websites against the user’s will, and can even spoof Web pages, making you think you are on a legitimate site when really you have been taken to a malicious imitation.
6. Where have my files gone? Hopefully nobody will be asking this type of question, although there are still some threats around designed to delete or encrypt information, to move documents from one place to another… If you find yourself in this situation, you really ought to start worrying…
7. Oh, oh… My antivirus has disappeared, my firewall is disabled… Another typical characteristic of many threats is that they disable security systems (antivirus, firewall, etc.) installed on computers. Perhaps if one thing shuts down it might just be a specific software failure; but if all your security components are disabled, you are almost certainly infected.
8. My computer is speaking a strange language. If the language of certain applications changes, the screen appears back-to-front, strange insects start ‘eating’ the desktop… you might just have an infected system.
9. Library files for running games, programs, etc. have disappeared from my computer. Once again, this could be a sign of infection, although it could also be down to incomplete or incorrect installation of programs.
10. My computer has gone mad… literally. If the computer starts acting on its own, you suddenly find your system has been sending emails without your knowledge, Internet sessions or applications open sporadically on their own… your system could be compromised by malware.

How is this for a bit of hyperbole: Business Day says "Kenya tops list of EA countries worst-hit by computer viruses":

International data security firm Kaspersky says Kenya now tops the list of East African countries for computers that are infected with dangerous threats and malicious viruses.

“Given East Africa’s recent Internet connectivity boom, with the landing of SEACOM the number of security infections in Kenya has increased approximately 10 times and roughly four times during the last six months,” said Mr Sergey Novikov, head of the region’s research at Kaspersky Lab. Mr Novikov says such statistics are a cause for major concern as hackers infect computers to gain access to private and important information, from personal banking details to company data bases and information that should not be shared.

“Looking at the number of security detections in East Africa during the last eight months, Kenya ranked in first place with 40 per cent, Tanzania in second place with 14 per cent and Ethiopia in 11th place with 1.1 per cent."

But before you get too afraid to turn on your computer, realize that rankings are relative. Kaspersky notes that on the international scene, Kenya has less than one per cent of infections and ranks at number 37.