BIZO Anti-Virus - More Information

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A: A computer virus is a form of malicious software – also referred to as malware. Malware is a word derived from the combination of the words malicious, and software.

The forms of malware that antivirus solutions protect against include the following. All of these forms are commonly referred to simply as “viruses”.

Viruses – a small program that attaches itself to another program or document and replicates with the potential to cause damage.

Worms – specifically engineered to make extensive use of email to spread them rapidly.
Trojans – programs that pretend to be something harmless but have a damaging or otherwise malicious intent.

Zombies – programs that install themselves on machines, and remain dormant until an external event triggers them into action; This could do damage to your PC, steal your personal information and send it to an unauthorised email account, or even open up remote control access to your machine.

Q: How do antivirus solutions work?

A: Antivirus solutions provide protection by detecting viruses and disabling or removing them from your system. Detecting viruses is the job of the antivirus “engine”, which scans your systems, looking for the tell tale signatures of these malicious programs. Once detected, the software will take the appropriate action such as remove, rename, or disable.

Q: How do viruses spread?

A: Viruses today are typically spread via email, but can also be spread by sharing diskettes; network drives, or Internet downloads. Viruses cannot spread on their own and must be run (or executed) by someone to cause damage. Boot sector viruses spread when a user inadvertently boots his or her workstation from an infected floppy disk. Macro viruses can spread by simply opening an infected document.

Q: What damage can viruses cause?

A: The type of damage viruses can do varies dramatically. Some of them do a great deal of damage to files, or even destroy the contents of a hard drive, while others install programs intended to corrupt or steal information from your machine.

Q: What makes Bizo Anti-virus different from the rest?

A: Bizo Anti-virus leverages Computer Associates expertise in providing security solutions to large businesses and government agencies worldwide. With over 27 years experience as a leading provider to Fortune® 500 companies, CA has developed the top technology for the defense against viruses. CA’s world-wide Security Advisor team provides continuous research and daily updates. eTrust EZ Antivirus leverages this expertise, yet provides a simple to use, extremely low-cost alternative for home and small office users.

Q: Why does anti-virus software need continually updated signature files?

A: Since new viruses are released on a daily basis, it is critical that the antivirus software you use is updated with new virus signatures to provide protection against the most current threats.
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Q: How does Bizo Anti-Virus provide automated updates?

A: Bizo Anti-virus is configured to automatically check and update virus signatures via a standard Internet connection. This process is completely automated and does not require user intervention.

Q: How can Bizo Anti-virus protect me from tomorrow’s viruses today?

A: Heuristic scanning engines enable Bizo Anti-virus to detect even unknown viruses by analysing file characteristics to prevent potential infection.

Q: Who tests and certifies antivirus software?

A: There are several independent third parties that test and certify antivirus software. The most widely recognised is the International Computer Security Association (ICSA). To be ICSA-certified, the software must detect 100% of viruses “in-the-wild” (in general distribution) and 90% of over 6,000 test viruses. All versions of Computer Associates Antivirus are ICSA-certified and the test results can be seen at http://www.icsa.net.

Q: What is included with Bizo Anti-virus product?

A: A monthly subscription to Bizo Anti-virus includes the software application along with:

- FREE daily virus signature file updates
- FREE product upgrades for up-to-date features and platform support
- FREE technical support

Q: What is a firewall?

A: A firewall is an important first line of defense for computer security. A firewall is software or hardware that acts as a barrier between your PC and the Internet. It prevents unauthorised access (unauthorised programs or unauthorized Internet users) to your PC and hides your Internet-connected PC from view. All information leaving and entering your PC must pass through the firewall. It ultimately helps keep hackers away from your personal and confidential data.

Q: Why do I need a firewall?

A: In today’s world of computing, several layers of protection are needed in order to defend your confidential data from hackers. Every PC connected to the Internet is a potential target. Computers are under constant attack from cyber vandals. Whether your connection is dial-up, DSL, or always-on, a firewall is necessary to stop intruders from getting into your PC.

Q: What kinds of threats do firewalls protect against?

A: Firewalls protect against hackers and online intruders who steal personal and confidential data that could lead to identity theft. Firewalls inspect each “packet” of data as it arrives on either side of the firewall – inbound from the Internet or outbound from your computer. The firewall determines whether or not it should be allowed to pass or if it should be blocked.

Q: If I already have antivirus and anti-spyware software, do I need a firewall?

A: Yes. A Personal Firewall stops unauthorised access and hides your PC from possible hacker attacks. Firewalls protect you from things that antivirus software and anti-spyware software are not designed to find.

Antivirus software detects and removes viruses, while anti-spyware software detects and removes spyware, adware, Trojans, and other non-viral malicious code. Accordingly, a Personal Firewall is the perfect complement to antivirus and anti-spyware software, providing a key component of a multilayered security strategy.

Q: What is spyware?

A. Spyware and adware are non-viral applications (surveillance tools) that are loaded without the user’s knowledge and can monitor computer activity including keystroke tracking and capture, email logging, instant message usage and snapshots. Spyware comes in many shapes and sizes: some are simply an annoyance while others threaten security. Here are some common types of spyware:

Spyware – tracks information about you, your computer, and your surfing habits
Adware – displays unwanted advertising that can slow your computer to a crawl
Keyloggers – can record every keystroke you make, then steal your passwords and other personal data
Browser Hijackers – can change your homepage and search results
Remote Access Trojans (RATS) – allows attackers to remotely control your computer

Q: How do I get infected with spyware?

A. Spyware and adware can enter a system in several ways, such as through everyday web browsing, unauthorised software downloads, peer-to-peer file swapping, email attachments, instant messaging and chat sessions, bundles with legitimate software, hacker website downloads, and “drive-by” installs from websites.

Q: Why do I need anti-spyware software?

A. Spyware can lead to anything from PC crashes to increased spam to identity theft. These threats are rapidly proliferating and represent a major security and privacy risk, therefore requiring a solution.

Q: If I already have antivirus software, do I need anti-spyware software?

A. Your antivirus protection is important — it detects and removes viral threats. But your PC can be infected with other dangers such as spyware. Anti-spyware software is designed to stop these threats, which have unique properties that can remain hidden on your PC and cause havoc. Bizo Anti-Spyware detects and removes a wide range of spyware threats, making it a powerful complement to your antivirus defense.

Q: Why not use free anti-spyware software?

A. Free anti-spyware typically does not offer all of the functionality that is available in Bizo Anti-Spyware, such as real-time protection, a pest information database, logging, support and automatic updates. Also, ‘freeware’ products typically cannot afford to invest heavily in research and development, meaning their solutions may not be as effective in detecting and removing a wide range of threats. In addition, freeware products usually do not offer the same level of customer service and technical support.

Q: What is Spam?

A: Spam is the common term for electronic ‘junk mail’ or unwanted messages sent to a person’s email account.

Q: Why is spam a problem; can’t I just delete spam from my Inbox by hitting Delete?

A: Today, 40% of all email is unsolicited, unwanted spam. The billions of spam messages circulating across the Internet can disrupt email delivery, degrade system performance, and reduce overall productivity. Deleting spam emails seems like the simple solution, but if you add up the time spent deleting every spam email you receive, you lose a significant amount of productivity.

Additionally, spam messages may contain offensive or fraudulent material and can even be used to spread viruses. Spammers may also be using your computer to send these unsolicited and possibly offensive email messages. Spammers are using home computers to send bulk emails by the millions. According to the FTC, as much as 30% of all spam is relayed by compromised home and home office PCs, but controlled from afar. Therefore, not only is spam a nuisance that affects PC and user productivity, but it can also be a serious threat to security and privacy.

Q: How do I get spam?

A: Spammers often use bulk email programs to send out their unsolicited messages to lists of email addresses that are often collected without the recipient’s knowledge. There are several ways spammers obtain these email addresses.

Harvesting from Websites – Most companies list email addresses and contact information on their websites. Spammers use web-crawlers to search for these email addresses located on web pages.

Mailing Lists – Many people sign up for mailing lists for newsletters, news alerts, coupons, special offers, and other interests. However, spammers can also sign up for these mailing lists and obtain the email addresses.

Usenet Posting – Spammers can also use bots to cruise newsgroups on Usenet in order to collect email addresses.

Coincidental – Your email address may be unique to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), but it may also be used by several other people using different ISPs. Spammers use the front part of email addresses and change the ISP name to create a list of several email addresses.

Dictionary Attacks – Spammers make educated guesses on email addresses by stringing together common names and words.