Viruses Becoming Deadlier than Ever – Ways to Protect your Data and System

Viruses are pieces of software code that enter computers and corrupt the information found therein, or steal it for illegal purposes. It is executed without the knowledge of the person using the system. It attaches itself to any program file, and from there it keeps on “infecting” other files. It can also replicate itself like a real life virus. Worms, Malware, Trojans enter the system from websites, and carry back crucial information for the hacker, who makes use of relevant tools for decoding this information. You can download a free antivirus software before purchasing to make sure it fits your specific needs

Software and operating system developers are the good guys who try to include security measures, but hackers find a way around them. Therefore, periodically, the good guys develop new antivirus software.  This is effective until the hackers find a way around it. To frame it in simple terms, it is, therefore, a war between the good guys and bad guys. The rest of us can only help ourselves by adopting some of the safety measures that can safeguard our interests.

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1. Schedule backup your data. Depending upon the quantum of data and information, the process could be daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly, but incorporate this procedure and you will not have to stress over potentially losing data.
2. You may think that the OS has security features, so you do not have to worry. Oh but you do, because even as you are installing that OS or program, a hacker may have found a vulnerability to it. Therefore, it is ideal to install antivirus software. It”s hard to say which antivirus software qualifies as the best antivirus because each such software provides protection against some of the viruses and fails against a few others. But most reputed antivirus software providers tend to update their programs regularly with new virus definitions. So you can at least be sure that their defense is reasonably good.
3. Do not allow employees or other people to access and use the files on your system. The fewer programs and data you have to manage, the easier it gets to clean up the mess. In fact, ensure that your booting is through C-drive by making it the default drive, so that the antivirus you have installed gets a chance to find any malware.
4. Do not use outdated versions of any programs. Latest versions of all programs have additional security features, which are designed to keep certain types of viruses away. By opting for older versions, you are making your system vulnerable to attacks from viruses for which there is also some cure within the new version of the program.
5. Do not open any mails or files with .exe and unknown extensions and addresses. Nowadays, hackers send mails and files with double extensions.  Therefore, watch out for extensions such as .exe, .chm, .vbm, .shs, etc., as well as .jpg.vbs, .txt.vbs, etc.
6. You may want to share those interesting emails, but they could bring viruses and worms. While you cannot stop your friends from sending you chain emails or fraudulent messages, you can become the end point, so it’s always wise to not send them on so that those infections do not spread anymore. Ensure that spam messages remain in the spam folder or are deleted.
7. There are bulletins on latest viruses. Subscribe to a reliable one instead of believing in something that one of the emails you received has mentioned.
8. Always log out after using any site or program and do not keep sensitive information such as passwords on your computer. Change passwords every now and then so that even if the hacker receives this information, it is already outdated.