Articles & FAQ

 
Are file sharing applications (P2P) such as Limewire and Frostwire safe to use?

Genesys Micro does not recommend using P2P software.  To understand this important issue, here are several points to consider:

First, it is inherently unsafe to allow any files to be shared over an open, unsecure internet connection. This is not because these programs are by themselves unsafe, but because these programs open an internet connection to your computer.  As a result, it may be possible for someone to discover a security flaw in the programming code that could become exploited and compromise your computer system.  It has happened before and could happen again.

Second, there are serious legal issues about sharing copyrighted material.  Most of these programs were originally designed to allow people to share music and movies.  For example, Napster was one of the original developers of P2P software.

Third, P2P file sharing programs make it easier to spread viruses inside infected files.  If you use P2P software, you are opening your computer to the possibility of infection and liability issues with copyrighted material.

 Which brand of anti-virus software is the best?

This really depends on your unique situation as a business or individual.  Simply, there is not a single solution that is best for everyone.  As a business there are special considerations, such as firewall and proxy support, and client-server implementations to consider. 

For a business, it is important to implement security in a layered approach, so that no single point will result in total failure if one of the layers fail.  Firewalls, proxy servers, anti-virus software, virtualization, Network DMZ, and policy enforcement are all required to secure the modern office.

For the home, this approach also works well, although it's rarely used.  This is because many people find it difficult to understand what is required to be safe. Advertising and marketing hype also cause confusion, resulting in people making decisions based solely on what they see or hear on TV, or what they read on the internet.

Genesys Micro recommends using several different kinds of anti-malware software.  The first kind is your typical anti-virus software. There are many to chose from, and we do recommend several brands to our business clients that we consider the best (this may change at any time based on performance and detection ability).  The second are scanners that are used to double-check your computer.  These do not reside in memory, but are launched on schedule to scan the computer's memory and hard drive.  Any infections are reported and used to verify the accuracy of the anti-virus software.  There are many good scanners available, such as malwarebytes.

Which brand of internet browser should I use?

Currently we recommend Firefox or Google's Chrome.  However it will be necessary to continue to use Internet Explorer 9 (IE 9) for Windows updates. Also, some internet applications may require IE to work properly. Since IE comes free with every version of Microsoft's operating system, this is not a problem to use more than one browser.  Currently, the reason we recommend Firefox includes the fact that scripting is not directly supported.  This makes surfing the internet a little safer.  In addition, Firefox is "open-source" software where the programming code for the browser is scrutinized for security flaws by hundreds of programmers around the world.  When a flaw is discovered a solution is rapidly deployed.

Chrome is rising in popularity due in part to Google's prominence, as well as to technical advances such as virtualization, Cross Site Scripting (XSS) protection, and fast rendering speed. It has a minimalist look, so it may take some getting used to.  There are several other brands of browsers available such as Opera Software's Operaand Apple's Safari. Ultimately the choice is up to you.

For now, we recommend using Mozilla FIrefox or Google Chrome for general use, and IE 8 or 9 for WIndows Updates.