As I reported in an earlier post, the spread of malware of all types skyrocketed in the last quarter. That post discussed the “big picture” concerning computer viruses, trojan horses and such, and in this one I’ll give you a few practical tips for dealing with malware when you find your system infected with it, as well as how to go about avoiding it in the first place.
First, make sure you install a good anti-virus and anti-spyware suite and update their threat databases every day. Skipping even one day’s update can leave your system vulnerable to any malware that was released “into the wild” since the last update was downloaded and installed. And let me tell you, there can be a lot of malicious programs released in a 24 hour period!
Next, be very careful about opening emails with attachments, even if you think you “know” the sender. Many emails containing malware can hit your inbox with the email address of someone you know in the “Sender” field, but it is quite possible that a “bot” has taken control of your acquaintance’s computer and is sending out malware to everyone listed in his/her address book. If you receive an email from a friend with an attachment that you weren’t expecting, call or email that person and verify that the email is in fact genuine BEFORE you open it.
Especially be on guard against emails with obviously “spammy” subject lines. If the subject screams “Buy Vicodin or other narcotics without a prescription!” or something similar, you can rest assured that it’s something you need to avoid at all costs.
When you’re surfing the web, steer clear of websites that reside in a “bad neighborhood”. Porn sites and hacker sites are notorious for being loaded down with some of the web’s most insidious forms of malware. When searching the web via a search engine, some anti-virus and anti-spyware programs will indicate which websites listed on the search results page have been reported as “attack sites”. Steer clear of them.
If your PC does somehow become infected with malware, make sure your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs have the latest threat databases installed. Then perform a thorough scan of your system’s hard drive(s) and follow the directions for purging the offending code from your system. If your security software fails to remove the threat, type the name of the threat into Google or Bing and you’re sure to find some help.
In a perfect world we wouldn’t need to be so diligent about protecting our computers from malware, but alas, we don’t have the luxury of living in a perfect world. Although there is a certain amount of risk anytime you’re using the Internet regardless of how diligent you are, taking steps to protect your computer (and yourself) when you’re online will go a long way towards helping you avoid a whole heap of trouble.