How much time and money have you spent in having your computer repaired because you have become infected with viruses and malware ?

Infection from virus’s , malware can be avoided if you follow some simple BEHAVIOURAL rules.

Remember if you get infected it is YOUR fault not your computer’s.

The first point to remember is that running antivirus software will not prevent you getting a virus.

Antivirus software is only there in the hope that once you have a virus on your computer it maybe able to remove it.

Here are 10 points to follow that should mean an infection free computer.

NUMBER 1 – Update 

• Update your operating system regularly.
• Turn on Automatic Updates on Windows and apply all critical updates immediately
• Check optional updates on a regular basis , they can in some cases trigger off critical updates.
• Microsoft issue updates throughout the month so check on the third week – you can find Windows update in the control panel for pre-Windows 10 computers or in settings on Windows 10
• Windows 10 will ensure that updates are done – updates not working , you maybe infected

NUMBER 2 – Software

• Update your software
• PDF readers , Office , Adobe Flash & Adobe Reader and Java are responsible for numerous infections unless patched
• If you can uninstall , Java and Adobe

NUMBER 3 – Email 

• Don’t open email attachments unless you know that the person sending it to you , really sent it.
• Viruses and Malware will more often than not come from someone you know.
• Email attachments are the number one way that viruses , trojan horses and malware can get onto your computer
• Beware of zip files – do not open them unless you are 100% certain they have been sent from a known reliable source – these can spread cryptolocker
• Don’t click links in e-mails.
• You could be taken to a phishing site and this may lead you to install malicious software.You should copy and paste the link into your browser or type the link into your browser.
• Make sure HTML in e-mail is turned off in Outlook as just by previewing these e-mails you can be infected especially if your computer is not fully patched.
• HTML e-mail can hide the actual destination of that link so this is another reason to turn off HTML in your email.
• Switch to a web based e-mail program such as G Mail / Outlook.com which will scan your emails before they arrive on your computer.
• Gmail is probably the best solution on grabbing spam if you are having spam issues with your current email provider

NUMBER 4 – Browsing The Internet

• You should browse the Internet with the latest editions of browsers Google Chrome , Internet Explorer or Firefox
• Check that the updates for these browsers are being installed and learn how to check that you have the latest editions
• I recommend Google Chrome

NUMBER 5 – Ads On Websites

• Block ads when browsing the internet
• Install Adblock from the Google Chrome store
• Ads on websites have been known to infect visitors to those sites

NUMBER 6 – Downloading Files 

• You should only download files from places you know are absolutely safe.
• The use of file sharing software often means you will download Malware and Trojans without knowing.
• If you download files you should quarantine them in a folder and then scan them a few days later with an updated antivirus software.
• Beware of downloading ” Free ” software as most sites that host ” free ” software are a hotbed for malware infections

NUMBER 7 – Firewall 

• Have a firewall , your broadband router is the best firewall and there is a built in firewall with Windows which is turned on by default – There is no need to buy an additional firewall solution

NUMBER 8 – The Antivirus 

• Have an antivirus solution , the FREE one I recommend is Defender for Windows 10 which comes with Windows 10 and the PAID one I recommend is NOD32
• However Norton , Kaspersky , Trend are just fine to use but you really do need to run one of the above.

Number 9 – What You Can Do 

• Limit User Privileges
• Many malware threats need full access to your PC to run properly.
• Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7,  use User Account Control to limit what a program can do without your permission.
• This means you will be notified if any software or application tries to make any changes to your system. It can also help stop malware and unwanted software from installing themselves or changing the way your PC works.

How Do You Do This ?

Change User Account Control

Number 10 – Behaviour

• Look at what you are doing and when in doubt – think before you click
• Remember if you get infected it really is your fault.