Computer security specialist Sophos is warning those who receive
new computers this Christmas to take time to ensure that their PCs
are secured before connecting to the internet. Many PCs on the high
street come with software which was produced several months before,
so their security patches are out of date, while anti-virus
software, often bundled with a home computer, is unlikely to
provide out-of-the-box protection for recent viruses. Last month
alone, 1,300 new viruses were identified, so protection that is
just a couple of months old could seriously compromise computer
security.
"The latest PC or snazzy laptop will top many people's Christmas
lists this year, and there's an assumption that an off-the-shelf
computer is ready to plug and play," said Carole Theriault, security
consultant at Sophos. "Many people do not realise that the first
task after unwrapping a PC should be to check that the system is
properly protected against a whole host of threats: are the latest
security patches installed? Is there a firewall in place? Is the
computer running anti-virus software?"
Without these security elements in place, a computer can become
a sitting duck as soon as it is connected to email or the
internet.
"I've seen cases where a whopping 38MB of security patches needs
to be downloaded onto a brand new PC, a task that could take from
dusk 'til dawn for users with a dial-up modem connection,"
continued Theriault. "But updating security is vital; a virus or
successful phishing attack would be a very unwelcome present."
Sophos also warns computer users not to let their guard down
during the festive period.
"Safe computing is an issue all year round, but in the run up to
Christmas, many people are entering into the holiday spirit. It's
all too easy to click on an e-card or open a joke program, but a
moment's entertainment could lead to hours of misery," added
Theriault.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.