You May Not Be Qualified To Do Your Own PC Security Either

Up until 2005, I was managing my own network of personal computers and handling all of the Internet security for them all. I thought I knew what I was doing - after all, I've been in the PC industry since before IBM released the PC. I get most security software without paying for it because I've written about the subject for Smart Computing magazine, so I was running Norton, Panda, Mcafee, AVG, AdAware, SpyBot Search and Destroy, the Windows XP firewall, and other software on my various PCs. I also had several good server-side firewalls and used NAT addressing on my router.

Still, I spent well over a thousand dollars on support and repairing my computers that year - most of which I can now trace to problems stemming from malware. I had not one, not two, but three hard disks crash. I had numerous crazy little problems with PCs that acted erratically. My wife kept needing help with her PC that year, and even complained about coming downstairs early in the morning and finding someone else remotely moving her mouse around. It was miserable. I would have spent even more on support, but Microsoft refunded the $245 they charge per incident a couple of times after they couldn't figure out what was wrong and decided they couldn't help me.

I blamed Windows and flaky hardware - but I was wrong, at least in part. Now I know what the problem was - pathetically inadequate security software and support. Yes, you read that right - I'm calling the software and support that the industry has foisted upon most unsuspecting users (Norton, McAfee, Microsoft, etc.) pathetically inadequate. It's absurd to think that Spybot Search and Destroy - a security application written by some really smart kid for his girlfriend - outdoes the established powers in protecting PCs. And yet if you think Spybot Search and Destroy is good enough, you're living in the same la-la land that I was living in before my nightmare year.

I'm not the only one having problems with PCs - I could spend hours reciting all of the problems people I know have had. Just play with Google for 5 minutes and look at some numbers if you doubt me on this. Just open the Yellow Pages to PC Repairs and see how often you see the words "Spyware/Virus Repair" or "Data Recovery." Problems are rampant. In fact, according to Consumer Reports, Americans spent over 8 BILLION DOLLARS last year to recover from the nasty effects of unwanted software (malware, spyware, viruses, worms, Trojans, backdoors, remote administration tools, and other nasties you've probably never heard of). And that's after they spent 3 BILLION DOLLARS on software that should SUPPOSEDLY protect them.

Virtually every PC running Windows and connected to the Internet is vulnerable - millions of PC are already under the control of hackers - most without the knowledge of their owners. One Treasury Department consultant says that the proceeds from cybercrime now exceed the proceeds from the illegal drug trade. Wow. What's more, between 8 and 9 million Americans a year suffer from Identity Theft - and that number is growing every year. The system - the police, the law, the courts, federal and state governments - are simply woefully inadequate to deal with the problem.

Now, I want to stress something that is critical to your well-being and your family's peace of mind: you too are vulnerable, just as I was during that year before I got some serious professional help. The PC security software that you probably have on your PC is simply not adequate to protect you - if it were, so many people would simply not be facing all these problems. Hackers just work around or even target the popular software.

Many of us have learned that sad truth the hard way - just as I did when I talked about my problems with a REAL PC and Internet security expert and he told me all of the problems with my security setup: I didn't have a good client-side, bi-directional firewall on each of my systems, the anti-virus software I was using on my wife's computer had been compromised by a hybrid virus that had gotten on my system as spyware or a Trojan, and as a consequence my wife's system had a backdoor on it that had been accessed dozens of times, and oh, by the way, there was also a keystroke logger on my system. All because I was ignorant of the inadequacy of the one-way Microsoft XP firewall.

So here's my point: you may know more than I do about PC security, and if you do, congratulations. You must make a living at it. I write about it for a major magazine and have been involved in PCs professionally ever since before IBM even had a PC, and yet I was embarrassed when I learned how little I really knew. I've learned even more about it since I was hurt by my costly ignorance several years ago, and I can tell you one simple truth: hackers and criminals know more about getting to you and your PC than you know about protecting yourself.

Ask yourself: just what makes you think you're so safe? Did you answer: "Because I'm not having the same problems you did, Dave!" ? Do you think you're safe because nothing has happened to you YET? Think again. There are a lot more computer users than there are hackers, and it's no surprise that only a certain percentage of people get whacked by hackers every year. Someday (sooner or later), you could get hit where it hurts. Beware of a false sense of security because hackers haven't brought down your system yet.

Do you think you're safe because your system hasn't been brought to its knees? Think again. Guess what? Most hackers and crooks aren't even trying to bring down your system any more. Only a few anti-social geek types want to destroy your PC - the vast majority are just out to make money off you or your PC. They make more money if they can use your system without your knowledge. They getting nothing out of destroying your data. They're more interested these days in EXPLOITING your data or your PC, and the minute you find out they're doing it, you pay to have it fixed, or fix it yourself, and they can't do it any more. So their efforts these days are devoted to programming exploits that are WELL HIDDEN and invisible to the user. (By the say, did you know that Latin for invisible is INVISUS?)

Now for the good news: there is a solution to this problem.In March of 2005, at a PC User Group Conference in Kissimmee, Florida, Tom Kennedy told me about a "Managed Internet Security Service." I was interested enough to investigate. What I've since learned is that the PC industry as a whole is doing a dismal job of protecting you, because it's not in their best interest to tell you the whole truth. Microsoft would look even worse than they do now; Norton and McAfee would be exposed as weak and slow and inadequate; and trade magazines would lose their #1 most popular topic to write about and us writers would lose the #1 way we maintain our aura of superior knowledge and expertise. *Sigh.* The answer is to get someone unbiased on your side, by doing what many savvy companies do: outsource your PC security through an expertly managed Internet security service.

The one I chose back then (the INVISUS PC Security Service, now iSafe) took a brilliant approach to the problem: instead of trying to make money developing and marketing their own suite of security software, they instead provide a comprehensive service. They test various software, identify those software components which are best working together at plugging all security holes, and license the software on behalf of their clients/subscribers (which license fees are included in their subscription fees). They then provide full expert phone support for the software and all security issues. At $15/ month (a penny less than that, technically speaking), I can't imagine going back to the do-it-yourself, penny-wise-and-pound-foolish approach I used to employ. That may sound expensive because we've all been led to believe by self-serving corporations that we can handle security ourselves, but I think it's a steal, given that it buys me more peace of mind than even my car insurance costs do.

But let's say you decide you'd like to save money and do it yourself - be your own PC Security Expert. Never mind that you're not really qualified and will end up with slow, inferior protection and without the security you really need. Let's assume you're reasonably savvy and your time is worth only $15 per hour. Now, pay attention - we're going to talk about our favorite subject: money.

If you try to do it yourself, here are your costs: at least $49.95 for a good bi-directional firewall and $19.95 for the anti-spyware software and free anti-virus software. Pay any less and you'll almost certainly have gaping holes in your security. It would also cost you $129.99 for Geek Squad or some kind of support to be sure you're totally disinfected and set up properly. Again, you can do it yourself but it will probably take you at least 3 college credit's worth of time to learn everything you need to know about security (you get a starter set of knowledge from most magazines and have to then add a ton of time infiltrating various hacker forums), which costs you even more than hiring Geek Squad, unless your one of the very few geeks who have nothing better to do. Personally, I'd rather be spending my time on making money off the web. It's more fun.

So that's a total of $199.89 just for software and service and just for the first year. That doesn't account for your time or education costs, and you still wouldn't have complete peace of mind because if you ever needed help, support would cost you at least $39 every time you picked up the phone - more if you wanted to get decent support. For example, I paid Microsoft's professional services $245 every time I had a problem. It's no coincidence that I've only had to call them only once (to take care of my Exchange Server) since I started with INVISUS, compared with numerous times a year before.

What's more, consider the time you spend each month on security (most people spend more time than that on dealing with the effects of poor security), and you'll start to get an idea of just how much you are already paying for security, or to avoid worrying about it. Either way, the hidden costs are outrageous - and it's in the industry's best interest to keep them hidden.

The managed Internet security solution? Well, the one I use costs $49.99 up front and $14.99 a month. 50 cents a day. $194.88 for the first year. And you get superior, corporate-grade software, far better support, and superior expertise.

So how do I get so much for so little? Economies of scale. When you subscribe, you're teaming up with thousands and thousands of other subscribers to get volume discounts on the software, train and maintain a great support staff, and employ security experts to keep constantly abreast of new developments as necessary to keep you and your PC protected and ahead of the hackers.

So when it comes to your safety and security, it takes a community - and a managed Internet security service where you team with others lets you easily obtain the kind of protection that's impossible to get on your own.

So here's the net of it all: Unless you're a PC security professional and not just a PC expert, you're probably not qualified to be your own security expert. A much better solution is to outsource the problem and let someone else worry about it. Your choices are fairly small in number:

1. Microsoft Live OneCare (Would you make Microsoft your vendor of choice for PC security? Don't make me laugh. If they understood security they should have put it in Windows in the first place. Don't reward them for incompetent chutzpah.)
2. A full suite from a single vendor backed by unlimited support. (the problem with suites is that some of the components are generally weaker than the one strong component for which the company is known. This is ok, but no one company seems to be able to handle everything).
3. a Managed Internet Security Service from someone you trust.

This is the course I recommend. The best Managed Internet Security Service I've found is from INVISUS Direct, which takes this awful situation surrounding PC Security and the need to be your own Internet Security expert and turns it into something not only manageable, but easy. Check it out. As much as I hate paying for something that SHOULD have been included in my operating system, and I THOUGHT I was getting with my security software, I can't find any better solution to the problem that works for more people. Even my true PC security expert friends like INVISUS: Jay Ferron said "That's good stuff." Jonathan Hauff (an IT pro in New York) not only signed up for the service, but as a reseller, saying "If I don't promote INVISUS myself, someone else who is will probably put me out of business." Steve Bass said "I like the service."

But if you know more about this than we do, please let me know what's working better for people. I haven't seen anything better going on three years now, which is why I finally decided to set up this blog to help people find what I found three years ago: peace of mind when it comes to using my PC without any security worries or hassles.

So to learn more about it, check out www.invisusdirect.com. Click on Our Services to learn more about iSafe - the service I've been talking about. If you have questions, you can call (800)511-9524. When you're ready to sign up, click on Sign Up Now. You'll need a Sponsor ID - you can use ESPLIN1550 (He's my son-in-law in the Air Force).

Unlike typical security software, the more who sign up for this service, the better the protection gets - and it's already outstanding anyway. That's because full support is included in the service, so every call they get is free to subscribers and so the support personnel learn a LOT about the kinds of problems people face and can then take measures with the software and alerts to address the issues and provide prevention. Go ahead and join us and start enjoying what we enjoy: outsourcing our PC security so we can spend more time on using our PCs to do the things we want it to do and much less time hassling over keeping it safe. Why? Because you'll love the service and love me for introducing it to you. You definitely want to look into it before circumstances force you to seek professional help when you finally recognize, as I did, that in spite of what the PC industry would like you to believe, you're just not qualified to handle your own PC security.