You’re sitting at home on your computer, working hard and minding your business. Then, you click on a seemingly innocent link…and your computer goes crazy. Pop-ups start attacking you relentless, it’s making funny noises, and before you know it, you’re dealing with a full-blown virus. Here’s what you can do to help avoid this next time!
Get Double the Protection for Your Computer
Not only would it behoove you to have a reliable virus protection program, but you should also consider adding on another anti-spyware/anti-malware program to be extra safe. Why is this necessary, you ask? There are viruses out there that are made for the sole purpose of infecting and taking down your virus protection so that other viruses can make their way into your system.
Make Sure Your Computer is Updated
You ever see that annoying window pop up in the corner of your screen saying that your computer has updates? Yes, it’s there for a reason, and a very good one. Sometimes, these updates will have to do with new security measures and protection against bugs. Read the updates, understand them, and make sure your computer is using them!
Be Careful with Email Attachments
Some email services scan your received attachments automatically; others don’t. Regardless, it never hurts to be safe. When you receive an attachment, scan it for viruses yourself. You can do this by first saving it to another folder on your computer.
While on the topic of safe and dangerous attachments, here’s a general rule of thumb: If you receive a document in an attachment, the odds are more than likely that you’re safe. If you receive software or a program or anything else you have to run, YOU should run!
Choose Your Search Browser Wisely
This might sound like going overboard, but it couldn’t hurt. Try to stick with browsers that you’re more familiar with and are more common. You might do an Internet search and find a new and exciting browser you’ve never heard of; but if very few people are using it, there could be a suspicious reason why. Stick with the crowds on this one.
This One’s a Given, but…
Always back up!!! Some people think it’s a pain in the butt, but it’ll be a bigger pain in the butt if you get a virus and then lose everything you ever had on your computer.
Don’t have a zip drive? No big deal! There’s another quick, easy, and free way to safely save your work: Email it to yourself!
This last point might be the best piece of advice, because even if you get the nastiest virus ever that leaves you having to go computer shopping, you can trust that all of your work is still there. If you’re looking to avoid that, though, make sure you’re protecting yourself with the right programs, be weary of attachments, and only use things you can trust.
Nancy Meyers writes for education blogs where you can read more about the Top 10 Best Online Master’s Prorgrams in Information Technology (IT).