The Dummy's Guide to Preventing Computer Viruses

Viruses…they happen to the best of us. No matter how hard we try, they find a sneaky way into our computers - they often make a way where there seems to be no way. We employ every weapon in our virus defending arsenal, but once they slip through, they latch on like a tick during rainy season. 

Below you will find a few ways to keep the cyber-crawlies at bay:

• Keep your operating system and security software up to date by checking for updates regularly.

• If you are a business or you do online banking, invest in substantial anti-virus tools, including specialist Cryptolocker prevention kits.

• Do not, I repeat, do NOT open email attachments from unknown sources or even sources that appear to be legitimate but seem suspicious.

• Block .exe files over email, including ZIP files using an anti-spam system. More often than not, these file extensions contain all sorts of unsavory elements you don’t want infecting your computer.

• Regularly back up any important data and keep it stored on an unconnected storage device (e.g.: external hard drive).

• Consider moving more data to cloud services (Google, DropBox or others).

• Ensure that your staff are educated in good computing practices and how to spot threats – it pays to be computer-savvy.

• Use the right software (MS Essentials or Malwarebytes should suffice) to determine whether a computer is infected or not. If so, disconnect it from all networks immediately and seek professional advice.

• If you have ANY reason to suspect that you have been compromised, change online account passwords and network passwords.

Written by: Christine Kleyn
Copywriter at The Computer Guyz