Tip #1917 - Flash Drive Protection- thumb drive antivirus antispyware
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Weekly Security Tip: Flash Drive Protection
Yes, you
read correctly. This week's Download and Security Tip go together, but
they'll make more sense in this order. Next week, the schedule will return
to usual.
Yesterday, I showcased
a couple of applications that run directly form a flash drive (Memory
card, MP3 player, or thumb drive). Don't have one of these little guys
yet? We sometimes have really good deals on them in our Cool
Gadgets section. I'm
sure those of you that have and use this type of media are going to love
these programs, but I can't recommend that you connect to everyone's PC
and start running programs without giving you some sort of protection.
That's what I'm here for today.
Today's security tip
is a free anti-virus and spyware removal program for your flash drive.
That's right, you can install and run not only an anti-virus program but
anti-spyware as well. This is ideal if you go from PC to PC and use your
Thumb drive like a floppy drive or CD-RW. There is a danger in connecting
to a foreign PC. You're not in charge of its security, and you don't know
how long ago the last security scan was run. If you connect to an infected
PC and are unprotected, the chances of the virus attacking your system
are great, to say the least. Stay protected.
AntiVir
personal Edition
This anti-virus program can be installed and run directly from your flash
media, stopping any viral attacks from an infected system. You have to
make sure that it is up-to-date before plugging it in to a foreign PC
but that should be the end of your responsibilities.
You can download
antiVer personal Edition here. You
just have to install it to your flash Drive (not the hard drive) to have
it on hand no matter where you go.
Ad-Aware
SE Personal Edition 1.06
I love this popular program's spyware-stopping capabilities, so installing
it on my thumb drive brings me happiness beyond comprehension. So you
connected to some dirty PC and got filth on your flash drive. This might
be all right for them, but we have higher standards and cannot live with
this malicious code on our system. Before you take your flash drive to
your personal PC, of course you'll scan it. If you scan your drive before
leaving that PC, you can know that you didn't just turn your flash drive
into a malicious code carrier. You
can also scan other possibly infected machines from an uninfected source
(your flash drive), so you might be able to get your buddy out of a jam
and be the hero.
Note: When installing
the ad-aware, install it directly to your PC's hard drive like you would
any other program. Once installed, go to Start, Programs,
Copy the Ad-Aware file, and Paste it
into your flash drive.
You may be saying
to yourselves, "Yeah. That's great, Chad, but why would I be carrying
my card around plugging it into random PCs throughout the day?" Understandable,
most people don't use their flash drives in this manner. After yesterday
and next week's Downloads, you may change your tune and the way you use
your flash drives. They're a huge asset, and some of these tricks are
going to knock you socks off. So be patient and look for next week's download.
Until then, stay
safe out there.
~ Chad Stelnicki
AntiVir Personal
edition: http://www.free-av.com/
Ad-Aware SE Personal edition: http://www.imgsrv.worldstart.com/download/aawsepersonal.exe
** WorldStart is not
the developer of this software and cannot offer technical support. We
have no control over the pages we link.
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