Avoiding computer viruses and how to protect yourself

First let’s see what a virus is and what it is not. Let’s look at the Wikipedia definition,

“A computer virus is a computer program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another. The term “virus” is also commonly, but erroneously, used to refer to other types of malware, including, but not limited to, adware and spyware that are not reproducible A true virus can spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is brought to the target computer, for example, because a user senses it over a network or the Internet, or carried on removable media such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive.

So there you have it. Pretty technical and just a hunch, but you’re probably thinking “why do I need to know that?” Well, actually you don’t. You really need software protection and maybe some idea how and why to avoid such catastrophes.

Let’s first address why having a virus, malware, or spyware can be so devastating. Are you backing up your important data? If you don’t back up your data, you risk losing everything. Sure, some viruses can be eradicated while preserving your data, but there are some that make the data on your hard drives unrecoverable. Therefore, it is advisable to get into the habit of backing up your data. The only tools needed are an external hard drive (if you have a large amount of data) or a USB or flash drive if you have a small amount of data to back up. Once you have your external drive in place, download a program called FBackup. The program is free and can be customized to run scheduled backups.

So now let’s talk about good antivirus, malware protection. If you have Norton or McAfee installed, that’s fine, but I have to say that having been in this business for over twenty years, I’m not impressed with either. Over the years, virus protection has evolved into Internet security programs that monitor all activity on your computer, not just email viruses or downloaded attachments. These days we have much more robust security packages designed to proactively stop viruses that are transferred simply by visiting a website. Some of the good ones include and this is a short list,

Eset Nod 32 (personal favorite)

Norman

kaspersky

If you want to take a chance and opt for one of the many free offers we recommend,

avast

Avira

Comfortable

You need to ask yourself a few questions to establish whether you need serious protection or just opt ​​for one of several free protection programs.

Banking online or worried about your passwords being compromised? If so, you must use a purchased version of an Internet security suite.

If you are dabbling online and don’t mind if someone sees your compromised information and passwords, then you can opt for a free version.

Consider your budget. Having antivirus protection is like insurance. To quote a famous TV commercial “You can pay me now or pay me later”

Is your data important to you? Are there files on your computer(s) that are considered essential and can you live without them? If this is the case, you should consider purchasing a good internet security package.

Obviously, if you’re using a business or corporate computer, you need a great security suite because of the seriousness of preserving your data.

What else can I do to avoid viruses along with good protection?

When searching online, be sure to only click on results that are relevant to your search query.

Stay away from sites that are unknown to you. Don’t Follow Redirects Unless You Know Where They Take You

Never click on links in an email or log into accounts from an email. Check the authenticity of the email in question before clicking

NEVER EVER open a program that was sent as an email attachment, even if you know the person. It’s best to save the file to your computer, but don’t extract or install it until you verify it with your protection.

Don’t allow pop-ups asking to download Windows updates unless you’re sure it’s a Windows update. This is one of the tricks hackers use to disguise a download as a Windows update and make you think you have to get it.

Make sure you have your browser security set to at least medium security

Finally keep your security and protection up to date. Most if not all programs will update automatically, so it’s not a major concern. And schedule automatic scans with your up-to-date security protection. Scan manually as well to make sure you’re protected.