The good portable antivirus programs come with a bootable Operating System so that you can actually boot your PC off of the thumb drive (this means that the computer is booted without using its own boot system files which could possibly be infected by the virus), use the antivirus firewall software to detect the virus, clean the virus off the computer, and then allow the system to boot normally off of its own hard disk. These advanced and cleverly written antivirus and firewall software programs can also come with a network activity monitor. This is such a nice feature to use when you are trying to troubleshoot what is wrong with a virus infected computer. The network activity monitor acts as a portable firewall and can tell you what kind of traffic is coming in and out of your computer as well as tell you how much traffic is going to what location. When you are searching for free portable software, I would look for a vendor who has created a bootable USB option and a network activity monitor that integrates with the free antivirus program. The two movable antivirus programs that we recommend are Portable ClamWin and MicroWorld Free Antivirus.

Almost all computer technicians these days carry some kind of transferable device that uses antivirus firewall software to rid PCs of even the worst worm or virus. Even if you are a normal home computer user, go ahead and get yourself some antivirus and firewall software that can run on a transportable device. Someday you will be thankful that you have your own portable antivirus.

Tip #1: Physical Security – The first step of security is to make sure that your computer is in a safe place.  If you are a small business owner, then you want to make sure your office is always locked after hours and that you have some type of alarm security.  Second of all, you will want to make sure you have all of your network equipment and any servers that you may have locked in a closet.  Remember – you can have the best software security in the world but if your PC is physically accessible to a “bad” human being then all of that software security suddenly becomes money thrown out the window.

Tip#2: Protect Your Data – The next thing is to focus on is keeping your data files secure.  First of all you need to make sure you are backing up your data.  Then place these data backups in a locked safe; preferably offsite from your business or home.  Antivirus firewall software can help with virus and hacker security but it can’t necessarily save your data.  Then you should use software like Folder Castle which helps you hide data from snoopers (whether they are family members or real internet snoopers).  This type of software hides the files from view and will also encrypt your files to keep hackers from deciphering your data.

Tip#3: Use Internet Security Software – We recommend every PC owner to invest in an Internet Security Software suite, like ZoneAlarm or BitDefender.  These software bundles have antivirus, firewall, antispyware, IM Security, and parental control programs that fight against viruses, other malicious code, and internet hackers.

Tip#4: Email – Do not open up email that come from distrusted or unknown sources.  Many viruses come via email.

Tip#5: Attachments – Do not open attachments that look suspicious or have unexpected subjects, even if they are from someone you may know.  Many worms come from Email attachments and quickly spread throughout the internet via your contact list in your Email program.

This is a quick start in protecting your computer from a security viewpoint.  Of course, even if you don’t do any of the rest of the tips, we recommend installing antivirus firewall software as soon as possible.

ZoneAlarm Internet Security 2009:

• Antivirus: The Kaspersky virus scanning engine has improved their antivirus software by adding fast scan times, real-time email virus scanning, detection of stealth viruses.  This suite has implemented Instant Virus Recognition which catches viruses as soon as they enter your computer and before they get a chance to replicate.
• Firewall: This firewall has been a constant standard for the last ten years.  Unbelievably, it even gets better in the ZoneAlarm Internet Security 2009 suite.  The auto-learn mode (which they have had previously) has improved greatly and in many test cases has identified every form of malicious traffic sent its way.  This auto-learning increases its ease of use which is a big item in our minds because firewalls can often be very tricky to configure. 
• Antispyware: The antispyware software has added an OSFirewall feature that detects and destroys spyware while it tries to install itself.  This feature is able to detect everything from Trojan horses to rootkits to worms.  The deep scanner that is included in the antivirus firewall software scanner is very effective in preventing spyware from gathering personal information.
• Extra Security and Features: The extras that have been added to this software suite are IM security, myVAULT, popup blockers, ad blockers, flash ad blockers, and parental controls.  IM security works with all major IP clients.  MyVAULT keeps passwords and personal data protected and encrypted. 

Overall, this software suite was rated the best internet security software by our staff.  We have always ranked ZoneAlarm’s firewall as the best software firewall that is out on the SOHO market.  Now that they have added Kaspersky’s virus scanning engine, we feel they have created a software suite that is very hard to beat.  A home user or a small office will introduce a top of the line security suite if they install ZoneAlarm Internet Security 2009.  The auto-learn feature of their firewall is a huge difference maker in our decision as well as the ease of use of their antivirus software.  This product is definitely a top antivirus firewall software package.    

BitDefender Internet Security 2010:

• Antivirus: In our opinion the antivirus software produced by this suite of internet security software is second to none.  The software has been shown to provide some of the fastest scans while requiring some of the lowest requirements (on-access and on-demand memory) in the industry.  BitDefender’s use of kernel-level virus protection is state of art code that is regularly (hourly) updated for up-to-date virus signatures and definitions.  It scans all PC communication and runs in real-time which can stop threats before they infiltrate your computer.  This suite also uses Active Virus Control which monitors activity of applications to analyze file behavior and stop even the stealthiest of viruses.
• Firewall: Although the BitDefender firewall may not be the very best firewall out there it definitely will be very hard to beat.  It uses a flexible 2-way firewall that is gamer friendly and has an integrated Wi-Fi monitor to help protect your computer from intruders trying to access your Wi-Fi network.  This firewall certainly does the trick in blocking malicious traffic trying to enter and exit your PC.
• Antispyware: This antivirus firewall software is designed to protect your computer and your personal information from a variety of identity threats, including Trojan horses, adware , keyloggers and browser hijackers. BitDefender Internet Security 2010 has new intrusion detection tools that block attacks made by DLL code injection, and stop unauthorized endeavors to change your system files, registry keys and access your memory.
• Extra Security and Features: BitDefender’s parental controls are easy to use, powerful and very flexible.  Their website filter software has improved greatly from earlier versions.  We still saw some false positives but they were few and far between.  The new File Vault software is pretty cool in that it can protect your sensitive and personal data.

Overall, this software suite was rated very high by our staff.  We believe that any home user will not go wrong by purchasing this software for their computer.  Besides the great security, this suite is fairly inexpensive and is easy to use.  This makes BitDefender Internet Security 2010 a top antivirus firewall software.    

Antivirus firewall software has become the latest trend in computer security.  All of the big antivirus companies have shifted their focus from just providing antivirus software to creating a complete suite of security software which is better known as internet security software.  It is called internet security software because it is a suite of software that integrates anti-virus, firewall and antispyware software as well as parental controls and other protective features that help defend your computer against viruses and malicious traffic while you are connected to the internet.  The internet security suite is a great way for home users to protect their systems from various security threats.  Small office and home (SOHO) users now have an affordable alternative to expensive hardware firewalls, intrusive detective systems, and separate antivirus software.  This varies from large offices that have to purchase separate pieces of equipment and software bundles to handle each one of these areas of concern.

Review of the Prevention of Malicious Traffic:

Before we dive into actual reviews of different antivirus firewall software vendors, we will first discuss what types of malicious traffic the internet security suites are designed to prevent.  The antivirus software that is included in the suite of security software, helps prevent against viruses, Trojan horses, email viruses, logic bombs and worms.  This program will scan your computer system periodically to detect any malicious code that may have entered into your computer.  It will also do live scans of emails, downloads, and file transfers.  The antivirus portion of the suite can also detect corrupt system files that may affect the correct boot sequence of your computer.

The firewall software of the internet security suite works in conjunction with the antivirus software by blocking malicious traffic from entering or exiting the computer.  The firewall detects malformed data packets as well as recognizing incorrect data flow (for example: the firewall can detect high amounts of suspicious traffic that is not normal).  It will block any traffic that does not meet the criteria allowed by the firewall.  This means that correct traffic must communicate by the specified protocol port and specifications or it will be dropped by the firewall.

Antispyware software is used to detect malicious software, running on your computer that is trying to hijack various types of information from your system.  Spyware can capture information about your business, web browsing habits, passwords, applications, etc…

These are the main components of internet security software and how they are used to protect your computer.  In the next post we will begin doing reviews on antivirus firewall software.

Virus:
Antivirus and firewall software is designed to work together in combating multiple security threats; the first of which is called a computer virus.  A computer virus is a small program written to attach itself to a legit program that is running on your computer.  For example the virus could piggyback onto your web browser, so that when your web browser is started the virus is activated as well.  Once this malicious piece of software is started it can reproduce itself by attaching to other programs causing all kinds of issues.  This is why antivirus firewall software is so critical to the longevity of each computer system.

Email Virus:
Another common virus is the email virus.  An email virus propagates by attaching to an email message that is sent and then emailing itself out to every email address that was present on the address book of the infected computer.  This type of virus software can replicate very quickly, can be damaging to each computer it affects, and can cause major issues to corporate email servers and infrastructure.

Trojan Horse:
A Trojan horse virus is a tricky piece of software that is based off, according to Greek mythology, of the gigantic, hollow wooden horse that was constructed by the Greeks to import their fighting men into the city of Troy under the guise of a gift of peace.  This Trojan software claims to be a certain program (like a game) but instead becomes a vicious virus when it is executed.

Worms:
A worm is an intelligent piece of code that replicates itself via computer networks and various security holes.  It finds its way into a computer and then uses its network connectivity to move from one computer to the next.  Worms are very hard to detect because they often do not stay in one place for too long.

These are just a few examples of what antivirus and firewall software are capable of fighting against.  This software is often called Internet Security Software and can be found as antivirus free software:
This combination is a great one-two punch that can knockout most types of viruses and malicious hackers; the power is in the antivirus firewall software.