Don’t install antivirus software (because you’ve already got it!)

For anyone not in IT in general, that statement flies directly in the face of everything we’ve been taught. If you don’t have antivirus software, we’re told, your pc will cripple and die in a matter of minutes.

Viruses/Malware/Spyware etc

I almost consider all the above titles the same thing. Software that tries to get into your pc and do something you don’t want. There are hundreds of ways this can happen, from being bundled up with software you are trying to legitimately get, to having advertisements on websites trick your pc into running something.
The key here is something needs to know about these things and stop them.

The best defence is a good defence.

If you have Windows 7 or newer, you already have built in antivirus software that auto updates, and it’s free.
Some reports seems to indicate that the latest version of this is very responsive to threats discovered:
So why use the free antivirus from Microsoft, surely the paid ones are better?
Very nerdy articles here that explain why this isn’t always the case, but in short, because of the way antivirus software tangles itself into your machine, it can actually introduce more bugs and exploits than it stops.
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/01/antivirus-is-bad/
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/07/what-amateurs-can-learn-from-security-pros-about-staying-safe-online/

What you should really be worried about

Here’s what you should focus on to keep your pc safe when you’re online:

• Keep your pc’s software up to date. Set Windows and Mac OS to auto update themselves, and if they tell you they need a restart to update, so it as soon as practicable. This applies to your phone as well (it’s just a computer now)
• Use Chrome or Firefox as your browser on your PC at home (they’re both free and auto update themselves in the background to keep out vulnerabilities)
• Don’t use the same password for everything. Most online issues are caused by using the same password for your email/iTunes as you used for some shady website that asked you to sign up. If you want to check, goto https://haveibeenpwned.com/ (it’s run by a Gold Coast security expert Troy Hunt, who is very well regarded) and you can check if your email address and/or password has been leaked by something/someone. https://haveibeenpwned.com/Passwords will also tell you if your password has shown up somewhere else. If it has, change it.
• Use a password manager program (I recommend lastpass https://lastpass.com or 1password https://1password.com ) to store your passwords. It will also randomly generate good passwords for you to use. It has iPhone apps, as well as plugging into your browser to fill in passwords for you.

I’ll cover off on the password thing in a later article in more detail.
Safe browsing everyone!