How to Protect Your PC From Viruses
Read this article to know the best methods to protect your PC from viruses in this modern age.
Anybody's PC can get targeted by hackers, and as a result of this, no one should take their PC protection lightly. Different viruses can get into your system, infect them, and destroy your files as well as slow system performance over time if severe preventive steps are not taken. Viruses are one of the ways hackers target people's data, but for you to protect your PC, you need to know what you are protecting it from. What is a virus?
A virus is an unwanted software program that is transferred from one computer to another without the user's knowledge. Most viruses attack users data and harm the performance of their PC. So when you notice any of these symptoms:
Be careful, because you may have a virus. They generally use communication programs like emails, or network system files to spread to other people's computers, so you have to be extremely careful who you let into your system.
So now that you know everything you need to know about computer viruses, how do you prevent these viruses from gaining access into your PC? Here are some ways you can protect your PC from viruses targeting your system:
Download system cleaners and anti-virus
A system cleaner, just like the name, cleans your PC and removes all the unwanted programs hiding in your system. You can download Ccleaner portable version to clean your system. This is a multifunction tool that helps keep your PC clean, safe, secure and fast. It removes all unwanted programs and viruses that hinder or degrade system speed, and revert the system back to its new form of performance.
You can also install a strong and efficient anti-virus if you don't have one already. This anti-virus will ensure virus removal by scanning your computer and computer files as well as scanning any external device you attach to your system. All in a bid to ensure your PC isn't housing any viruses, and no one is intentionally or unintentionally bringing any viruses into your system.
Downloading and installing this anti-virus is one thing, but updating it is another very important and crucial step. Most antivirus brands enable auto-updates on their software, which can make life easier for you since you won't have to worry about that. Avoid installing cracked software
While most people go for cracked software because it is free, this software could carry malicious viruses that could hurt your PC badly. They could transmit bugs that may not be easily detected unto your computer, these bugs could build up and harm your computer eventually, causing more problems for you. Although these viruses can be cleaned when you download Ccleaner portable version, it is better to not have the virus than to have it and need to get rid of it. Be careful about opening email links
Another thing to watch out for are email links. Research shows that 44.8 percent of Windows virus infections happen because users clicked on links they shouldn't have clicked on. Take proactive measures to ensure you don't click on any link or attachment you do not trust. This will be easier for you as well because Gmail and other big email service providers warn users about links coming from untrustworthy sites. No matter how urgent or appealing the email may sound, wait until you can scan the email for virus or confirm it is from a trustworthy site. Enhance your browser's privacy settings with a firewall
Just because you download Ccleaner portable version and install it to protect your system, doesn't mean you have your firewall up. Having a network firewall up on your PC can go a long way in helping you layout security policies and monitor the traffic that passes through your network. You may not know this, but the firewall that comes with your system has its own antivirus that can help block viruses and other harmful programs that may try to get into your system.
Keep your firewall turned on at all times, this will help it target real-time threats, detect them and combat them.
Backup your computer
You never know how important backing up your PC is until something happens and you lose all your data with no backup. Viruses can affect your data in different ways, so you have to ensure you are prepared for the worst-case by backing up your computer. Our PC data is very important, and the virus knows this so it targets this first, so make sure you back that data up before anything happens.
There are different ways you can backup your system, either through the external hard drive, online backup services, or through cloud storage. Any of these are a good back up techniques that will protect your data from viruses that may try to harm it.
Use pop-up blocker on your PC and turn on your UAC
UAC is your user access control which is a form of additional security level for your PC. If your UAC is turned on, your computer will alert you if there are any administrator-level changes that need to happen. This way, you can stop them from happening if you aren't responsible for them.
Likewise, using a pop-up blocker on your PC will help you experience a secure browsing session. Reason being that many pop-ups are in fact spyware and adware trying to harm your personal computer and corrupt your files.
And there you have it, some few detailed points on how to protect your PC from viruses that may have it in for it.