Computer viruses – 5 quick tips
- Beware email attachments
The most usual method a virus is spred is in the form af an attachment to an email. Despite most people knowing that this is the case, a high number of individuals can’t resist the temptation to open an attachment, particularly if there is some kind of bait in the email title or body. The problem is particularly prevalent with age groups 16 – 18 and 45 – 60. In short, if you don’t know the sender and/or don’t recognise the topic and/or if the email contains some kind of offer or wording which urges you to do something, be very wary. If you do download an attachment to a hard disk, antivirus or malware protection software is a must. Also, be aware that viruses can be embedded in Word/Excel/Powerpoint documents.
- Downloads
Another way for a virus to spread is by making a connection on other software that you download. This can manifest via a toolbar, file-sharing, or email add-ons, all of which are common conduits and should be treated with caution, as otherwise you may also get malware, free of charge. Using a good anti-spyware program will minimise your risk being affected by any Viruses.
- Pop Ups
Have you ever been to a website and received one of those “Click here to install and run pop ups ? Your staring or default approach to anything like this should generally always be to reject the invitation and treat pop ups as threats to your computer.
- Say no to sharing
If you are using a shared network, for example at an internet cafe or work and the hard drive is shared with other network users you are asking for trouble. Aside from malicious intent on the network, if any part of the network gets infected by a virus, without adequate protection, there’s nothing to prevent it from copying itself to your computer via the network. In short, unless you absolutely have to share your hard disk, don’t. You can check to see if your computer allows sharing of files on a network by right clicking on the drive icon in My Computer, then select “sharing”.
- Portable media
Portable media, such as external hard drives, pen drives and flash drives are also a source of virus infection. Assume that any file you copy from external media could be infected. Keeping your anti-virus protection enabled and updated should protect you here.