How to Prevent Malware From Infecting Your Computer

1. Install Anti-Virus/Malware Software.
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.
2. Keep Your Anti-Virus Software Up to
Date. 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.
3. Run Regularly Scheduled Scans with
Your Anti-Virus Software. 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.
4. Keep Your Operating System Current.
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.
5. Secure Your Network. 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.
6. Think Before You Click. 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.
7. Keep Your Personal Information Safe.
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.
8. Don’t Use Open Wi-Fi. 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?
9. Back Up Your Files. 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
10. Use Multiple Strong Passwords.
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.