This article was originally published on as '8 Tips to Protect Your Computer From Viruses and Malware'.It is crucial to protect your computer against computer viruses in order to preserve important data. Take a few minutes today to make sure you’re protected. 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.īottom line? These days protecting yourself from viruses and lost data is much easier than it used to be and doesn’t have to cost a dime.
If you suspect your computer is infected, make sure your security software is updated, then scan the computer. 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. You should suspect a computer virus if your machine slows down, crashes, or repeats error messages. The federal OnGuardOnline site recommends never clicking on links within pop-up screens.Įven the most vigilant of computer users still run the risk of picking up malware. Web browsers have the ability to stop pop-up windows and allow you to set the security for accepting pop-ups. For Internet Explorer, the medium security setting is the minimum level to use. Make sure your Web browser’s security settings are high enough to detect unauthorized downloads. Both PCs and Macs come with built-in firewall software. Just because you have antivirus software running doesn’t mean you have a firewall. Once you’ve opened it, LastPass will automatically log you in to every site you visit requiring a password. You only have to remember one password: the one that opens your LastPass vault. 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?”īest idea? Use a free service like LastPass to create and manage your passwords. The company recommends avoiding using the same user name/password combination for multiple online site logins.
Password security company says the three most common passwords are password, 123456, and 12345678. While some people use the same password for everything, try to avoid that practice. Use a strong passwordĪ strong password is one that is complex, with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. For more, see Online Storage Wars: Which Virtual Storage Is Best? 5. And the price is right: free for up to 5 GB of data. Use a service like Google Drive, and your files will be continually backed up to the cloud. You have three basic backup options: an external hard drive, online backup service, or cloud storage. Back up your computerĭo 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.
See our story Antivirus Software is a Waste of Money for more ideas.
Avast is another free anti-virus program. For Windows users, Microsoft Security Essentials is free. You don’t have to pay for software to protect your computer or for an annual subscription to maintain the latest virus protection. Microsoft says 44.8 percent of Windows virus infections happen because the computer user clicked on something. Don’t click on links within emailsĪ good rule of thumb is if you don’t recognize a sender of an email, don’t click on any links within it.
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.
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. Software makers like Microsoft and Oracle routinely update their software to fix bugs that could potentially be exploited by hackers. But let’s take a look at eight additional ways you can protect yourself from viruses and malware: 1. The way to defeat these scams is simple enough – don’t give strangers your credit card numbers or access to your computer. The agency estimated “tens of thousands” of computer users fell prey to that scam.
In October, the Federal Trade Commission cracked down on a similar scam that charged computer users from $49 to $450 to “remove” malware from their computers.