Guest Author - Debbie Jacobsen

Although statistics vary depending on whose figures you’re looking at, of the one billion plus computers on the internet today, everyone agrees that well over half are not adequately protected against dangerous viruses and spyware.

I often find myself wondering why the majority of internet users fail to properly protect their computers against the dangers of common internet security threats, and I think a big part of the problem is a general lack of understanding about how subscription-based security software works. I think this problem is compounded by a false sense of security that exists when people get a new computer that comes with pre-installed internet security software. Here’s what I mean…….

When a new laptop or computer is purchased it normally comes with a lot of bundled software, including some type of computer security product. Most computers these days come preinstalled with an internet security suite, which is anti-virus software, a personal firewall, and an anti-spyware product. At the very least, a new computer will probably come with an antivirus product.

When you get the computer home and turn it on for the first time, a configuration wizard normally asks you a few questions about automatic updating, and after retrieving the updates it will scan your computer for any possible infections. From this point on the security software will run in the background, protecting you from viruses, worms, Trojans, hackers, spyware, adware, spam, and other malware (depending on the type of product). Updates will be downloaded automatically on a regular basis, and your computer will be protected for a "limited time".

What most people don’t realize is that the internet security software that comes with a new computer includes a “limited time” subscription to the vendors automatic update service. During the automatic update configuration process, users are told how long their subscription lasts, but most people probably don’t read this. An automatic update subscription normally lasts for 12 months if you purchase the software on your own, but preinstalled software often only includes a “trial version”, which could expire in as little as 30 days. In order to keep the updates coming after the trial period, you have to purchase a subscription.

Hundreds of new strains of computer viruses, spyware, and malware are introduced onto the internet each week, and the purpose of the automatic updates is to keep you safe from the most current security threats. When you stop updating, you are still protected against older versions of viruses, but have absolutely zero defenses against any new dangers.

Anyone who purchased a computer more than 30 days ago and has not purchased a renewal subscription to their antivirus or internet security product should check to see if automatic updates are still working. This is easy to do, but the process often varies by product.

Look for an icon that leads to your security product on the lower right corner of your screen, near the system clock. With most versions of Windows, if you let your mouse hover over the icon a moment, the software’s name will appear. Look for something like “Norton Internet Security”, “McAfee”, “EZ Antivirus”, etc… and then double-click the icon to open the product’s configuration and status window. An alternative method is to click on “Start”, then “Programs”, then look for the product you are using and click it to open. Look around the software interface for something called “Automatic Updates”, “Updates and Status”, etc…. Once you find this, check for the date of the last update. If it was more than a couple days ago, chances are your subscription has expired.

As a test to see if your software is updating properly, find a button called “update now”, or “get updates”, and click it (be sure you are connected to the internet). The product will attempt to fetch updates for you and will either return a message telling you that your product is up to date or that your subscription has expired. If expired, you either need to purchase a renewal subscription or uninstall the product and purchase something different.