Computer security for most can be described in 2 words, firewall and antivirus.

Until recently, one could install a firewall and antivirus program and feel quite safe. The risk of something “bad” succeeding in infecting your computer or a hacker breaching your firewall was not likely.

This as the internet was filled with completely unprotected computer. It is easier to attack or infect the fully open computer than to fight against all installed counter measures. Viruses spread quickly and if you had protection, you were protected.

The new era has arrived.

But look around you. Read about all the new releases of spam control software, software firewalls, antivirus software, and similar products.

Of course, they are still good protection against all the normal threats on the Internet, but the new main focus is the protection they offer against new threats.

Yes, actually everyone is trying to come up with ever more ingenious ways to protect you from threats that aren’t even there.

And how can they do this?

The answer is quite simple.

Most attacks and viruses use variations of known methods to attack or infect. And the new technologies being invented are all looking at “how things are done” rather than “exactly this or that”.

How to find viruses.

In the old fashioned way, a known virus can be found by using a signature, a piece of known code inside it.

The new way now looks for known actions that certain viruses use to achieve an infection or spread.

How to recognize an attack.

The old way. Someone connecting to your computer in some way (stop it).

The new way, connect someone through this protocol, to this port, more than 3 times per second and so on.

A couple of examples.

Norton Antivirus 2005 (TM) has Internet Worm Protection. Panda Antivirus (TM) has, Trueprevent.

Other companies will follow and this will expand into other areas like firewalls and spam protection.

What do you get out of this?

The new protection will catch more viruses, more attacks, but they will most likely require more configuration on your part, as well as a better understanding of how they work. And as always, a more complex system is more likely to give you trouble.

So here it is, probably a bit more secure and with a bit more glitches.