I often get asked by our customers why they can still get a virus when they have antivirus/internet security software installed.
Good question; the answer boils down to this: No internet security product is perfect, they are always playing catch-up with the virus creators. To minimise the chance of getting infected with a virus I have put together a few tips that may help.
- Make sure you pay for a reputable antivirus/internet security solution – do some research and read reviews before making your decision. Despite what friends might say, a free antivirus is a bad idea. You will never get the level of protection you do with a paid version.
- Consider an alternative to the Internet Explorer web browser – if you do not need, do not use it. Both Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome have been shown to be quicker and safer. Web sites and emails can contain links to malicious web sites, or code, which is designed to exploit vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. This can lead to the offender/offending code getting complete control over your computer.
- Set up a second restricted user account for normal day to day use. This tip is probably one of the least utilised, but most effective, courses of action you can take to keep your windows PC free from viruses. By default Windows will create an administrative account, which has access to make changes to the underlying system, once a virus is in your system it can use this access to take full control of your PC. By logging in as a restricted user malware or viruses that manages to get onto your system are unable to run as intended and will do minimal to no damage.
- Careful what you click on! – social engineering is a very common way for people to get stung. Think about emails before you open them – if it looks suspicious, delete it without opening it. If a link looks too good to be true, it probably is. Never pay for something you haven’t heard of or didn’t initiate the purchase of.
- Microsoft do not call their customers. A scam is hitting people in Australia where offenders from overseas, posing as Microsoft technicians, are calling and informing you of issues with your computer that they can resolve. They then gain remote access to your computer and ask for credit card details. Politely tell them you have your own IT support and you are not interested.
All it takes to stay safe on the net is to consider everything you do. If you are ever unsure if something popping-up is a virus or not, give us a call and one of our trained technicians will be sure to help you.
