How To Protect Your Computer From Viruses and Malware
What
is a Computer Virus?
A computer virus is a type of malicious software that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code. When this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be "infected" with a computer virus.
A computervirus is a malicious program that self-replicates by copying itself to
another program. In other words, the computer virus spreads by itself into
other executable code or documents. The purpose of creating a computer virus is
to infect vulnerable systems, gain admin control and steal user sensitive data.
Hackers design computer viruses with malicious intent and prey on online users
by tricking them.
It is
quite easy and simple for the viruses to sneak into a computer by dodging the
defense systems. A successful breach can cause serious issues for the user such
as infecting other resources or system software, modifying or deleting key
functions or applications and copy/delete or encrypt data.
There
are two types of ways in viruses operate, as soon as they land on a new device
they begin replicating, while the second type plays dead until a particular
trigger makes the malicious code to be executed. Thereby, it is highly
important to stay protected by installing a robust antivirus program
Virus infection
on your computer may cause a very serious damage and even loss on your
business. You can just imagine it may wreck your system registry or your entire
computer (with all your receivables data on it!) or all your HTML programs! It
will come to total black out screen, it will not boot at all. But that is
actually the worse scenario that may happen.
How To Protect Your
Computer From Viruses and Malware
If you're using an unsecured operating system, then installing virus protection software is a nice safeguard. Many anti-virus options are available for free online.
If you simply avoid programs from unknown sources (like the Internet), and instead stick with commercial software purchased on CDs, you eliminate almost all of the risk from traditional viruses.
You should never double-click on an e-mail attachment that contains an executable. Attachments that come in as Word files (.DOC), spreadsheets (.XLS), images (.GIF), etc., are data files and they can do no damage (noting the macro virus problem in Word and Excel documents mentioned above).
However, some viruses can now come in through .JPG graphic file attachments. A file with an extension like EXE, COM or VBS is an executable, and an executable can do any sort of damage it wants. Once you run it, you have given it permission to do anything on your machine. The only defense: Never run executables that arrive via e-mail.
However, some viruses can now come in through .JPG graphic file attachments. A file with an extension like EXE, COM or VBS is an executable, and an executable can do any sort of damage it wants. Once you run it, you have given it permission to do anything on your machine. The only defense: Never run executables that arrive via e-mail.
1. Keep your
software up to date
Software makers like Microsoft and
Oracle routinely update their software to fix bugs that could potentially be
exploited by hackers. Oracle just released on Sunday an update to its Java software to fix a security hole
hackers could have used to infect computers with malware.
The software patch came after the Department of Homeland Security sent
out an advisory late last week about the security flaw recommending computer
users disable the Java plug-in in their Web browsers.
2. Don’t click on
links within emails
A good rule
of thumb is if you don’t recognize a sender of an email, don’t
click on any links within it. Microsoft says 44.8 percent of Windows virus
infections happen because the computer user clicked on something.
3. Use free
antivirus software
You don’t have to pay for software
to protect your computer or for an annual subscription to maintain the latest
virus protection. For Windows users, Microsoft Security Essentials is free. Avast is another free anti-virus
program.
See our story Antivirus Software is a Waste of Money for
more ideas.
4. Back up your
computer
Do you regularly back up the
information on your computer? If you don’t – and 29 percent of computer users
fall into that category – you have no protection from calamites ranging from
hard drive failure to your house burning down. If you value your data, back it
up.
You have three basic backup options: an external hard drive,
online backup service, or cloud storage. Use a service like Google Drive, and your files will be
continually backed up to the cloud. And the price is right: free for up to 5 GB
of data. For more, see Online Storage
Wars: Which Virtual Storage Is Best.
5. Use a strong password
A strong
password is one that is complex, with a mix of letters, numbers,
and symbols. While some people use the same password for everything, try to
avoid that practice.
Password security company SplashData.com says the three most
common passwords are password, 123456, and 12345678. The company recommends
avoiding using the same user name/password combination for multiple online site
logins.
When creating a password, use eight
characters or more and, to make them easier to remember, try using short
phrases separated by spaces or underscore marks – such as “car_park_city?”
Best idea? Use a free service like Last Pass to create and manage your
passwords. You only have to remember one password: the one that opens your
LastPass vault. Once you’ve opened it, LastPass will automatically log you in
to every site you visit requiring a password. It’s really handy – check it out.
6. Use a firewall
Just because you have antivirus
software running doesn’t mean you have a firewall. Both PCs and Macs come with
built-in firewall software.
Be sure to check that it’s enabled.
7. Minimize
downloads
Make sure your Web browser’s
security settings are high enough to detect unauthorized downloads. For
Internet Explorer, the medium security setting is the minimum level to use.
8. Use a pop-up
blocker
Web browsers have the ability to
stop pop-up windows and allow you to set the security for accepting pop-ups.
The federal On Guard Online site recommends never clicking on links
within pop-up screens.
Even the most vigilant of computer
users still run the risk of picking up malware. You should suspect a computer
virus if your machine slows down, crashes, or repeats error messages.
Other clues include the computer
failing to promptly shut down or restart, new toolbars you didn’t install, a
changing home page, or a laptop battery draining faster than it should.
If you suspect your computer is
infected, make sure your security software is updated, then scan the computer.
If that doesn’t solve the problem, try typing a question into your favorite
search engine to uncover forums where others might describe fighting and
winning similar battles.
What can I do to protect myself from
computer viruses and Trojans?
These days, practically everyone's
online, downloading and exchanging files, and developers are in such a hurry to
get their Web sites up or their files out that checking for a nasty bug is more
of a courtesy than a requirement. If you're not careful, your computer can end
up with a nasty virus that makes your files act oddly, crashes your computer,
pops up bizarre messages, or worst of all, destroys your operating system.
A computer virus is the most subtle of
computer problems. It usually loads itself into your computer system when you
run a program to which it has attached itself. From the computer system, it'll
then reproduce itself, much like a biological virus would, by attaching copies
of itself to other programs on your hard drive. What it does then depends on
the malevolence of its creator. Some viruses are nothing more than a practical
joke.
They may bring up a message like "Merry Xmas" or melt your display. Most of them though, either start destroying your system or your files immediately or on a date specified by their creators—like the much-publicized Michelangelo virus, which erases important pieces of your system on March 6.
"Trojan horse" programs are similar to viruses in their effect on your system, but they can't reproduce themselves. They're usually a program disguised as something you might want to download onto your computer—for instance, a rogue, modified version of PKWare's PKZIP utility. But when you run the new program you just found, it can do anything from popping up a message to erasing your hard disk, as the rogue PKZIP utility really did.
In either case, you have to actually
launch the infected program or the trojan horse for it to infiltrate your
system. Though hoax e-mails, like the one about the "Good Times"
virus try to make you believe otherwise, neither a virus nor a trojan horse
program can do anything if you simply leave the malevolent file sitting on your
hard drive.
Finding out that you copied a trojan
horse onto your computer is remarkably easy. You launch the program, and the
next thing you know, something completely unexpected happens—maybe your system
is gone or your computer is laughing maniacally at you. But unless you notice
your computer acting oddly before the virus has done its worst damage, you may
very well not know you have it until it's too late.
Protect Your Computer From Trojan Horse Virus.
There are a few basic rules that computer
users should follow to short-circuit viruses. The best known bit of advice is
this: Never open any attachment unless you know who it's from and why they are sending
it. Refusing to open unsolicited e-mail of any kind is the only sure-fire way
to sidestep all forms of trouble.
Anti-virus software is crucial to preventing virus attacks, but this strategy only works if users update their software.Unfortunately, 'keeping it current' means updating it weekly, at least but most products today allow one to automate this process, but file downloads can be large and slow.
Factors to consider when buying an
anti-virus package include cost, quality of tech support, how frequently the
package self-updates and the platforms supported by the program.
Common sense is another good weapon in
the fight against viruses. Be wary of opening any email attachments, even from
your firends , especially if it has been forwarded to them.Set up your
anti-virus product so that it automatically scans incoming e-mail and avoiding
e-mail software that allows automatic launching of attachments.
If all of this sounds like a lot of work,
it is. There is always a tradeoff between ease of use and security but the
extra time you spend updating your anti-virus software now will save you hours
of time and buckets of frustration later.If you don't keep it updated, you
might was well be completely unprotected.
Prevention
Like sexually transmitted diseases(STDs), computer viruses existed prior to the popularity of the Internet, but
as with the sexual revolution of the '70s, viruses have flourished with the
widespread sharing of information. And, much like the efforts to control STDs,
controlling computer viruses is to be done through education and practicing
safe hex (a play on words which means to perform certain measures to protect
your computer).
1. Be sure do a full back up of your
system on a regular basis. The best way to clean up an infected file is to
replace it with an original non-infected file. Not to mention the grief a
current back up will save if a virus takes your system completely down. It's
also a good idea to keep more than one set of backup in case the current one is
infected before the virus is detected.
2. Always use an anti-virus software
program, one with both an on-demand and an on-access scanner. You'll want to
look for one that has a fairly complete database of viruses and that is
updateable. New viruses are produced daily, so it's important to have software
that can detect the latest threat.
Be sure to read the manual and follow the
directions of the software program to ensure it's protecting you properly.
Also, consider buying and using two different brands to be doubly protected. See
our review of anti-virus programs.
3. Update the virus database in your
anti-virus program regularly (each month or by the direction of the
manufacturer).
4. On a PC, change the CMOS setting of
your boot up process from booting first on the A drive (floppy) and then on the
C drive (hard drive) to just booting on the C drive. This will not only speed
up your boot up process but also completely eliminate the risk of infecting
your hard drive with an infected floppy disk.
If you should need to boot from a floppy
you can easily change the settings back and reboot from the A drive. Please
note: an infected non-bootable floppy disk can just as easily infect your hard
drive as would an infected bootable one.
5. Don't allow your web browser to
automatically run programs, such as MS Word or other programs through its
e-mail program. Configure your browser to launch WordPad or Notepad instead.
One of the biggest and growing threats is the macro virus, which is spread
through data processing and spread sheet programs.
6. Configure your web browsers to disable
ActiveX, Java, and Javascript. You'll lose some of the fun the Web's been known
for, but you'll save your computer from contracting a virus and speed up your
connection.
7. Know that the only way a virus spreads
is either by launching an infected file or by booting an infected disk. You can
not get a virus by simply being online or by reading e-mail. You have to
download and launch an infected file before it will spread. Therefore, do not
launch any unsolicited executable files sent via e-mail.
8. Using an updated anti-virus program,
scan all new software for viruses before installing them on your hard drive.
Even shrink-wrapped software from major publishers has been known to contain
viruses.
9. Be aware of hoaxes. To increase mass
hysteria, there have been many stories conjured up and spread by
unknowledgeable users.
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