The Internet age has brought quite a few wonders to our home. We’re able to find anything we’re looking for with the push of just a couple of buttons, but there are some dangers with this new era and the biggest one is the number of different viruses and malware that can infect your computer. There are more hackers coming out of the woodwork every day and they are all looking to find new and innovative ways into your computer.
So what can you do to get the best home virus protection?
Install Antivirus, Spyware and Malware Software
This particular step might seem like a no-brainer but the fact of the matter is that plenty of people skip it. Most new computers come with something like 30 or 60 days of free protection already installed. Once that free protection runs out, the user tends not to renew far too often. This is usually born from the notion that they would never be a real target from hackers.
The reality is that hackers are going to be looking for anyway into your computer they can, making sure this software is up to date will help protect you from those looking to gain access.
Don’t Click on Email Links or Attachments Without Taking Precautions
While antivirus software will protect you against most attempts to access your computer, there are always new threats popping up online. You should team your top of the line software with safe practices and the safest of all is always going to be avoiding clicking on infect material.
Some people believe that you should only click on links or attachments from people you know. The problem is the number of viruses and malware that will take over friends’ emails and send messages for their accounts to their contacts. This is how a virus spreads, because people assume if the email is coming from someone they know, everything is safe. In order to completely protect yourself you should always scan the link or attachment and make sure it’s clean.
Disable Autorun
People might expect viruses to come from email and links, but they can just as easily come from something like an external hard drive or flash drive. By disabling Autorun, even if you accidentally connect a flashdrive that has infected files on it, they won’t be transferred over before you can check it out and find the malware.
Get Yourself a Reliable Firewall
Some people complain that their firewalls keep them from accessing networks and wireless devices such as their printers. Because of this, they disable or delete their firewall and in the process, make themselves more vulnerable to hackers. The key is to make sure you have a firewall up and then get to know all there is to know about how to make workarounds for your firewall. There are settings that will give you the ability to connect to the printers.
Layers
One of these solutions by itself isn’t going to get the job done 100 percent of the time. You need a suite of home virus protection measures because, in the United States, there is an instance of identity fraud once every three seconds. You should employ up to date antivirus software, have a top of the line firewall and disable autorun on your computer. You should also make sure you’re not clicking on links and emails until you have scanned them.
And the bottom line is you should always surf smart. Don’t go to sites you haven’t checked out first. Make sure you’re double and triple checking everything and you can be as safe as is possible in the Internet age.
