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Some computer maintenance for the upcoming family get-togethers

Dave Farquhar security March 18, 2013November 30, 2018antivirus, Bit Defender, defense in depth, firefox, firewall, Keep Firefox, Microsoft Security Essentials, psi, Vacuum Places

If you’re like me and do some computer maintenance for families during holiday weekends, the time to plan Easter computer maintenance is now.

Here’s some stuff I recommend doing to keep your non-computer-enthusiast relatives’ systems running smoothly. Be sure to bring your own laptop along, just in case. If a computer is too broken to get online or to get online safely, nothing beats a working system for downloading the stuff you need to fix it. Read more

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.

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The men (boys) who spy on women through webcams

Dave Farquhar security March 13, 2013March 12, 2013antivirus, Ars Technica, avast, Bit Defender, bitdefender, chrome, defense in depth, firefox, macintosh, malware, Malware Domains, malwarebytes, Microsoft Security Essentials, Task Manager

Ars Technica made a bit of a splash this week with this provocative headline. This is real.

The article gives the usual advice, like not opening e-mail from strangers, not clicking attachments from strangers, and not visiting dodgy websites. That’s all good advice, as is staying off torrent and other file sharing sites, but even all that is not enough.
Read more

Dave Farquhar

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Avast 8 is out and already well-regarded

Dave Farquhar security March 2, 2013March 1, 2013antivirus, AV, avast, defense in depth, firefox, malware

Avast 8 is out, and the initial reviews are positive.

If you use Avast, either as your primary or as your secondary AV, updating it is a good idea. One critical improvement is that virus database updates happen more frequently now. There’s no such thing as too frequently when it comes to database updates.

Dave Farquhar

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How to schedule scans with Avast (even the free version)

Dave Farquhar security December 20, 2012antivirus, avast, defense in depth, performance penalty

Scheduling scans with Avast is easy, as it turns out, if non-obvious. Launch Avast, then, non-intuitively, click Scan Now. Click Settings, then, buried on the left is an option called Scheduling.

I recommend doing a quick scan at least once a day and a full scan at least once a week. If you’re using Avast as a secondary scanner, be sure to have your primary scanner scheduled to perform scans too. Read more

Dave Farquhar

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Get defense in depth with antivirus by installing Avast as a secondary scanner

Dave Farquhar security December 13, 2012December 5, 2015antivirus, avast, chrome, defense in depth

Two antivirus programs on one system? Heresy, right?

Well, not if one is designed to play second fiddle. As it turns out, Avast, one of the best free antivirus programs, can do just that. Just download it, run the installer, and pick the second option–“Compatible install – install as the second line of defense.” Be sure to de-select the option to install Google Chrome and make it your default browser, unless you want that. Free programs often come with ridealongs.

Dave Farquhar

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