As recently as 1998, I still was recommending
that small businesses update antivirus software once every four to
six weeks. In this age of cyber-terrorism; however, you really
cannot be well-protected against the newest viruses unless you
update every desktop PC, notebook and server at least once
a week. During a virus outbreak in your company, or during widely
publicized national or international virus outbreaks, consider
checking for antivirus software updates daily.
When I say updates, I’m talking about
updating your antivirus software’s signature, definition or
pattern files. Most antivirus software vendors use a modular
update/upgrade architecture, in which updates can be rolled out
daily or weekly, while major version upgrades generally come out
every 6 to 18 months. A more substantive part of the antivirus
software, known as the scanning engine or core product code, will
get minor version upgrades several times a year. But these are more
like decimal releases, as opposed to major version upgrades, and
generally are not sold as stand-alone upgrade products.
Unlike a conventional piece of shrink-wrapped
software, antivirus software has a very short shelf life;
it’s generally obsolete before you even install it. After all, new
viruses are discovered daily.
Purchase vs. Subscription Computer Virus Definitions
To combat this rapid software obsolescence,
major antivirus software vendors have gravitated more and more
toward subscription business models. This means you’ll generally
license the antivirus software for a certain length of time, during
which you’re entitled to unlimited product updates and, in many
cases, unlimited product upgrades.
If the antivirus software on your systems is
from shrink-wrapped retail products, or was bundled into the
purchase price of the systems, you’ll need to retrieve the license
agreement that accompanied the software to see what it says about
update and upgrade privileges. In many cases, you’ll find that
included update and upgrade privileges will span anywhere from 90
days to one year, unless you explicitly purchased an update
subscription.
Again, first make sure your company is properly
licensed for the antivirus software and updates. Then, just as
important, see whether the software is properly installed and
configured, and where updates are being applied regularly.
These seemingly simple steps are the essence of avoiding many
of the associated computer support costs with messy computer virus
cleanups.
Internet-Era Protection Computer Virus Definitions
Finally, the severity of viruses coming in
through your e-mail and Web browser programs now warrants additional
protection at the application level -- which is designed to activate
even before the virus threat reaches the antivirus software.
If you’re in the small minority of businesses
worldwide that doesn’t depend on Microsoft Internet Explorer for
Web browsing and Microsoft Outlook for e-mail, you’ll need to
check with the appropriate software vendor for the comparable
software security patches and updates. However, if you’re like the
rest of us and depend on Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft
Outlook, read on for simple steps you can take to help fortify these
programs against computer viruses.
The good news: It’s gotten a lot easier
for the non-techie to apply security updates to Microsoft Internet
Explorer and Microsoft Outlook. However, the bad news is that now
you may find it necessary to check for software updates to these
programs almost weekly. Let these programs remain as is for longer
periods, and you could be treading into dangerous, virus-bearing
waters.
The Microsoft Office Product Updates and
Microsoft Windows Update Web sites make it easy for you to tackle
these security updates.
For step-by-step instructions on Microsoft
Office Product Updates and Microsoft Windows Update, be sure to
check out Tip #75 through Tip #77 in Chapter 5.
Computer Virus Definitions Action Items
How current is the installed antivirus
software?
What kinds of antivirus software updates
and upgrades are you entitled to under your license agreement? How
do you retrieve the updates and upgrades?
What is the antivirus software update
schedule?
How often are computer virus definitions
updated?
How often is the core scanning engine
upgraded?
How are updates and upgrades deployed on
desktop PCs and notebooks?
Who supervises the software updates?
What kinds of internal controls and
cross-training are in place to ensure that these updates happen on
schedule and with the right configuration?
How are e-mail client and server
applications protected from virus risks?
When was the last time Microsoft Internet
Explorer and Microsoft Outlook were updated for the latest security
patches? Whose job is it to make sure this happens?
Are Microsoft Windows Update and Microsoft
Office Product Updates being installed on each PC, or are other more
sophisticated software distribution methods in place?
|
