If you have a computer and an internet connection, and you send and receive emails, your computer is at risk from malicious code and viruses that can destroy your valuable data, and give out your personal details and passwords anonymously to the internet. Antivirus software is essential.
Antivirus software scans files on your computer and can automatically scan incoming emails for potentially damaging attachments, alerting you to the presence of viruses, worms and trojans, and either deleting or quarantining them. There are more than 50,000 known computer viruses on the computer networks worldwide and more are developed and released every day. Viruses are detected by unique characteristics that each individual virus may have, often a specific file name, file size or location.
When a new virus is discovered in the wild, samples are sent to the various antivirus software developers who establish and identify the unique virus signatures, and develop system repair tools - often within hours of discovery. Therefore your antivirus software is only as good as its last update. Updates can be regularly downloaded from the internet and often the programme itself will alert you to the need to do so.
For many however, downloading and installing software updates from the internet is akin to a trip to the dentist for some root canal work - generally put off till the last minute, and often too late to be of any use.
Nightshade is an antivirus service available from Richmond based internet service provider, Tasman Solutions. It has clear benefits over traditional antivirus software in that it filters your email messages and attachments on the server, removing the offending viruses before they even reach your inbox. Viruses that spread via mass emailing never get a chance to spread to all your friends and colleagues in your address book. The server based filtering software is updated automatically every hour, offering the best protection possible, with no input required from you the user.
Starting at $5/month for a single user, and $10/month to cover all emails within a domain, it is a small price to pay for piece of mind. You don't need to be an existing Tasman Solutions customer to use Nightshade and no additional software installation is required. Simply send an email to antivirus@ts.co.nz, and leave the problems of email borne viruses to other people.
