Written by Here is a brief post about avoiding viruses! I spend a large portion of my days doing remote tech support and probably the most common issues or problems are Viruses, Spyware, Trojans, and other malicious codes on users PCs.
Before I get started with the tips let me state, that nothing is fool proof. However, some of the tips I will share with you, if followed, will greatly reduce or possibly eliminate your chances of getting these nasty critters on your computer.
Tip #1
Always have an up to date Antivirus/Spyware program running on your PC. Now a lot of people will only use the free stuff, which is fine, free antivirus software is better than none at all. However, they usually do not provide you with complete protection. Most free antivirus programs will only provide you with basic antivirus defense but does not include firewall protection, active url monitoring, and other great features that you can get with a fully paid edition.
Most commercial antivirus programs include web filtering, email filtering, firewall integration, and much more to provide a much better defense against attacks. Also most high speed internet providers do offer free commercial grade antivirus protection to their customers. Check with your internet provider. My top recommendations for commercial antivirus suites are respectively Kaspersky Internet Security, PC Tools, andTrend Micro Internet Security Pro. These are complete Internet Security Suites that do their job well and do not use a great deal of system resources.
However, if you are intent on using freeware, I have great recommendations for those as well. Keep in mind, although they offer great protection, they are not a complete security suite. Most offer upgrades to their full suite. The top free antivirus programs I recommend are Avast and AVG respectively.
Tip #2
Find and use a web-based email provider such as Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, and there are plenty of others. Not only do these let you access your email from anywhere, but they have built in Viruses Scanners that will scan your email attachments before you ever receive them. If a virus is found the attachments are usually removed automatically.
Tip #3
Use caution while reading Email or Private Messages and links from Social Networking Sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and others. When you see links in post or your private messages, do not automatically click on them. First check to see if it looks legit and from someone you know. Also, before clicking make sure the headline looks like something that a friend would send you. Hold on, don’t click it yet. Hover over it with your mouse, and look at the status bar down on the bottom left hand corner of your internet browser. This is the destination url or link. Make sure it matches the headline you are clicking on, and verify spelling. If the link looks weird, Don’t Click It!
Tip #4
Be very careful of the websites you visit. Some webmasters are not very nice and will embed malicious code in their site that will download automatically to you PC when visited. However, remember Kaspersky Internet Security that I mentioned earlier in this post, they are great about blocking access to these web pages and will let you know, if it possibly contains bad code.
Tip #5
One final tip for now. Be aware of gaming sites. Quite a few of these sites are known for spawning adware, spyware, and yes even viruses. Investigate these potential sites before you visit. If you have questions about a particular site, ask someone, or consult a professional computer tech, or submit it to us to investigate for you.
Hope this provides you with valuable information to help you stay protected while surfing the World Wide Web!
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