Viruses and spyware can harm computer users in many ways. Computer viruses can damage important files and even your computer's hard disk. Spywares may...
Viruses and spyware can harm computer users in many ways. Computer viruses can damage important files and even your computer's hard disk. Spywares may not damage your files and hard disk but it sends your personal information to a third party even if you haven't permitted it.
To protect your computer against virus and spyware it is important to be very careful when using the internet and in using thumb drives and other mobile media. It is not only through the internet that your computer can be infected with a virus but also with infected mobile disks. If it could not be avoided that you must use your mobile disk with your computer and other computers that might be infected with virus and malware,
be sure to do a complete scan of the thumb drive before you open it.
To scan a thumb drive, just plug it in the USB port. Open My Computer folder and right-click on the thumb drive's icon. In the menu that pops up, select "Scan with Eset smart Security"( or whatever is the antivirus you are using).
But because no matter how careful we are in using the internet and mobile media, virus and spyware are bound to slip through us. So it is a must that your computer must be installed with the latest and the best antivirus and antispyware software. Good examples of antivirus and antispyware programs are Eset Smart Security, Kaspersky Internet Security, AVG Antivirus and Security Software, and Avast Pro. Aside from being very good at securing your computer from threats, these software are also very light, they do not eat up too much memory like the more traditional Norton and Trend Micro.
Be sure to keep your antivirus software updated, or set it to update automatically. If you are using Eset smart security, just double-click on its icon on the task bar and a window for Eset Smart Security will pop up. Click on the Update button and click on the link "Update virus database signature". Eset Smart security will then download available latest updates. Other antivirus softwares have also more or less like this process in updating.
Also keep your operating system updated; it is one of the most important tasks that can help keep your computer safe from spyware and virus by plugging security holes where spywares usually enter. To turn on automatic update for Windows, Click on Start then right-click on My Computer and click Properties. The System Properties Property window will open. Click the "Automatic Updates" tab and make your selection of how ofter you want to connect to Microsoft website for updates. It is advisable to select the daily option. Click "Apply" and then "OK".
Make sure your Windows firewall is always turned on and set to make your computer really secure. Eset, Kaspersky, and other good antivirus software have their own firewall that you can use instead of the default Windows firewall. But Windows Firewall is really good enough so it's good to use it though. To turn on Windows XP Firewall, just click Start>Run. Type "Firewall.cpl", and then click OK. On the General tab, click "On" (recommended). Click OK.
Avoid visiting sites that are known to have malware. Avoid downloading "free" software that come from dubious sources, most of these "free" software come bound with trojans that most antivirus software could not detect.
Avoid opening email attachments from sources that are unknown to you. And even if the sender is known to you, see to it that the attachment does not contain suspicious extension like .vbs or .exe.
Lastly, make a regular thorough computer scan with your antivirus software. Most antivirus software can be set to scan daily when you start your computer. You can double-click on the icon of your antivirus in the task bar and in the window that pops up it is easy to locate where the complete computer scan button is located. But I am sure that it is always in the first window that pops up after you double-click the antivirus' icon in the task bar.
