General Meeting - A fresh look at PC security software

A fresh look at PC security software

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" – Benjamin Franklin

"Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease" – Anonymous

Virus scanners, pop-up blockers, spyware detectors, and other security applications are designed to prevent damage to our computers. And as online threats have become more sophisticated, so too have the tools we use to protect ourselves. Security application suites may now require more system resources than the programs you use, and the applications designed to improve your computer's performance may actually be slowing it down.




If you've ever had problems downloading a virus definition file, discovered your spam filter has blocked email from addresses on your Allowed list, or found out your firewall prevents you from accessing an Internet service – if you're beginning to wonder whether the cure has indeed become worse than the disease – come to the next meeting of the Greater Cleveland PC Users Group, as we evaluate the ying and yang of PC security software.

Our guest speaker this month is Joseph Kovacic, a founding partner of itSoftware, a company specializing in
Windows security solutions for the enterprise. Unlike most security vendors, itSoftware does not use definition files to identify malicious software and suspicious activity. Joseph will review the evolving computer security landscape, and explain how itSoftware's Intelligent Threat Detection (ITD) technology enables it to combat not only the usual suspects (viruses, Trojan horses, spyware etc.), but also the lesser-known but still powerful emerging threats, such as zero-day attacks and rootkits. Joseph's extensive knowledge of how these threats work and what they are capable of doing will help us understand why our computers need that ounce of prevention more than ever.

But our discussion won't end with a tidy admonition to install or upgrade a security application on your system. With Joseph's help, we'll discuss the downside of security that many of us have experienced – problems installing, upgrading, and uninstalling security programs; application and system crashes caused by these applications; cryptic warning messages about something that may or may not be a threat. Can you keep your computer safe without losing your sanity? It's not always easy, but with Joseph's experience augmenting the outstanding liveware knowledgebase that is the GCPCUG community, we'll help you understand how to make using your computer smooth as well as safe.