How to be malware proof easily

Most of us have had to deal with a
computer virus or some sort of malware
by now. It wasn’t fun; it was annoying,
time consuming, and very frustrating.
When our computers start slowing down
or behaving in an unusual way, we are
often quick to suspect that we have a
virus. It might not be a virus, but it is
likely that you have some sort of
malware. Some are malicious, and others
are just annoying. The worst culprits are
the hijackers—malware programs that
take over your browser, or worse yet,
your computer. I have had to remove
these types of evil programs from
personal computers and work computers
in the past, and I’m sure you have, too.
Here are 10 tips on how to prevent
malware from infecting your computer,
keeping your hardware safe.
This tip may go without saying, and I
almost just casually mentioned it in my
opening paragraph. However, I have seen
many computers—especially home
computers—that don’t have anti-virus/
malware protection. This protection is a
must-have first step in keeping you
computer virus free.
Having protection software is the first
step; maintaining it is the second. Free
anti-virus software is better than nothing,
but keep in mind that it’s not the best
solution. Microsoft does provide a
security package for “free.” It’s free in
that if you have Windows on your
machine, you are granted access, but
you did pay for your Windows license.
Many users aren’t aware of this program,
but it’s actually decent protection.
This too may seem like a no-brainer, but
many of us forget to do this. Set up your
software of choice to run at regular
intervals. Once a week is preferred, but
do not wait much longer between scans.
It’s difficult to work on your computer
while your anti-virus software is running.
One solution is to run the software at
night when you aren’t using your
computer. However, we often turn off our
computers at night, and so the scan
never runs. Set your anti-virus software
to run on a specific night, and always
leave your computer running on that day.
Make sure it doesn’t shut off
automatically or go into hibernation
mode.
Whether you are running Windows, Mac
OS X, Linux, or any other OS, keep it up
to date. OS developers are always
issuing security patches that fix and plug
security leaks. These patches will help to
keep your system secure. Similarly, keep
your anti-virus software up to date.
Viruses and malware are created all the
time. Your scanning software is only as
good as its database. It too must be as
up to date as possible.
Many of our computers connect to our
files, printers, or the Internet via a Wi-Fi
connection. Make sure it requires a
password to access it and that the
password is strong. Never broadcast an
open Wi-Fi connection. Use WPA or
WPA2 encryption. WEP is no longer
strong enough as it can be bypassed in
minutes by experts. It’s also a great idea
to not broadcast your SSID (the name of
your Wi-Fi network). You can still access
it with your device, you will just have to
manually type in the SSID and the
password. If you frequently have guests
who use your Internet, provide a guest
SSID that uses a different password, just
in case your friends are evil hackers.
Avoid websites that provide pirated
material. Do not open an email
attachment from somebody or a
company that you do not know. Do not
click on a link in an unsolicited email.
Always hover over a link (especially one
with a URL shortener) before you click to
see where the link is really taking you. If
you have to download a file from the
Internet, an email, an FTP site, a file-
sharing service, etc., scan it before you
run it. A good anti-virus software will do
that automatically, but make sure it is
being done.
This is likely the most difficult thing to
do on the Internet. Many hackers will
access your files not by brute force, but
through social engineering. They will get
enough of your information to gain
access to your online accounts and will
glean more of your personal data. They
will continue from account to account
until they have enough of your info that
they can access your banking data or
just steal your identity altogether. Be
cautious on message boards and social
media. Lock down all of your privacy
settings, and avoid using your real name
or identity on discussion boards.
When you are at the local coffee shop,
library, and especially the airport, don’t
use the “free” open (non-password, non-
encrypted) Wi-Fi. Think about it. If you
can access it with no issues, what can a
trained malicious individual do?
The best thing you can do is back up
your files—all of them. Ideally you will
have your files (your data) in at least
three places: the place where you work
on them, on a separate storage device,
and off-site. Keep your files on your
computer, back them up to an external
hard drive, then back them up in a
different location. You can use a backup
service or simply get two external hard
drives and keep one at work, at a friend’s
house, at a family member’s house, or in
a safe deposit box.
Why is data backup important? Check out
Risky Business : 5 Essential Tips for Data
Backup .
Never use the same password, especially
on your bank account. Typically, we use
the same email address or username for
all of our accounts. Those are easy to
see and steal. If you use the same
password for everything, or on many
things, and it is discovered, then it takes
only seconds to hack your account. Use
a strong password. Use lower case, upper
case, numbers, and symbols in your
password. Keep it easy to remember but
difficult to guess. Do not use dates or
pet names.
For more tips on protecting your data,
check out
10 Ways to Avoid Viruses and Spyware .