Tips for Keeping Your Computer Secure From Viruses

September 15th, 2007 | Antivirus Software

It’s getting harder and harder to protecting your computer from a growing array of viruses, trojans and worms. While you may feel a bit paranoid, you simply can’t leave your guard down for one second. Even corporate giant Microsoft and the Federal Government have found their own systems compromised on more than one occasion.

If you were online in earlier, more innocent times, life was simple then in terms of computer viruses. It was easier to catch and eradicate a virus because floppy disks were the primary way in which a virus were transmitted. Computer users simply scanned all floppy disks before they loaded them to their systems.

The growth of the Internet, both in terms of the sheer number of users and the speed at which data could move, changed all that. No longer could a computer user just worry about floppy disks as points of entry, but they now had to worry about email, email attachments, peer-to-peer file sharing, instant messaging, and software downloads. Today’s viruses can attack through multiple entry points, spread without human intervention, and take full advantage of vulnerabilities within a system or program. With technology advancing everyday, and the convergence of computers with other mobile devices, the potential of new types of threats also increases.

Luckily, the advancement of antivirus software has kept pace with current virus threats. Antivirus software is essential to a computer’s ability to fend off viruses and other malicious programs. These products are designed to protect against the ability of a virus to enter a computer through email, web browsers, file servers and desktops. Additionally, these programs offer a centralized control feature that handle deployment, configuration and updating.
Here are a few simple steps to help you protect your computer against the threat of a virus:

1. Evaluate your current computer security system.

With the threat of a new generation of viruses able to attack in a multitude of ways, the approach of just having a antivirus software program alone has become outdated. You need to be confident that you have protected all aspects of your computer system from the desktop to the network, and from the gateway to the server. Consider a more comprehensive security system which includes several features including antivirus, firewall, content filtering, and intrusion detection. This type of system will make it more difficult for the virus to penetrate your system.

2. Update and patch your operating system, web browser and software frequently.

If you have a windows operating system, start by going to the windows Updates site and running the update wizard. This program will help you find the latest patches for your windows computer.

3. Only install antivirus software created by a well-known, reputable company.

Be sure you get antivirus software that is updated regularly. Even better, get antivirus software that is updated automatically by the vendor. This feature can bring you peace of mind in knowing that your computer will have protection from the very latest viruses even if you forget to update your software. Become familiar with the software’s real-time scan feature and configure it to start automatically each time you boot your computer. This will protect your system by automatically checking your computer each time it is powered up.

4. Make it a habit to always scan all new programs or files no matter from where they originate.

5. Exercise caution when opening binary, Word, or Excel documents of unknown sources especially if they were received during an online chat or as an attachment to an email. If, when you open these files, the program asks you to “allow macros,” close the file immediately.

6. Perform regular backups in case your system is corrupted. It may be the only way to recover your data if infected.

Just taking these simple precautions will increase your computer security substantially. You must be vigilant since it’s clear that the hackers and virus programmers never rest.

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