Top 10 Ways To Protect
Yourself From Computer Viruses
by: Jim Faller
As more and more people are becoming comfortable using their computers
at school, home or in the office it’s only a matter of time before they
encounter a computer virus. Here are our top 10 steps to protect you from
computer viruses.
Use a high quality anti-virus program. There are many different
anti-virus computers programs on the market some of them are better than
others. Look to reputable computer magazines or websites for ratings to
help you find the one that matches your needs.
Always use your anti-virus software. Make sure your anti-virus software
is always turned on and scanning, incoming and outgoing email messages,
and any software programs you run.
Keep your antivirus programs up to date. Most programs come with a
yearly subscription make sure you take advantage of the updates. More
advanced programs allow you to schedule updates or full system scans for
“off hours” like 2AM when you aren’t likely to be using your computer.
Keep your computer up to date. From time to time operating systems fall
victim to security holes or issue updates. Make sure you check
periodically to make sure you are running stable up to date versions of
your software.
Backup your data regularly. Most windows computer users keep their
documents in the “My documents” folder. This makes it easy to back up all
of your important documents. Make weekly or monthly copies to CD or USB
drives.
If you use floppy disks or USB drives on public computers like your
school computer lab, Kinko’s, or even digital photo printing store make
sure you scan them for viruses. Public computers are notorious for not
being up to date and properly protected.
Be wary of email attachments. Treat any email attachment as potentially
dangerous. Never open attachments from people you weren’t expecting. Also
be careful of attachments from people you know but weren’t expecting. Many
computer viruses replicate themselves by reading the contacts from an
infected computer.
Use text email if possible. While HTML email is prettier and allows you
more control over formatting it also can carry computer viruses. If you
use text based email the only way to get a virus is by opening an
attachment.
Use downloaded freeware and shareware files or software with caution.
Try to download them from popular reputable sources that scan the programs
before they are uploaded. To make sure you are safe scan the program
before you install it on your computer.
Be wary of links in IM or instant messaging software. Don’t accept
invitations from people you don’t know and never click a link from someone
you don’t trust, they can easily redirect you to another website that will
try to install a virus on your computer system.
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