Avoiding Dangerous Viruses
Many people are afraid of getting a virus on their computer and corrupting their entire system. Viruses are dangerous and can pose real damage such as stealing personal information, corrupting files making them inaccessible, or even bricking the computer. However, there are ways to avoid viruses and make sure that your data is safe.
One common way viruses are spread is through emails, known as spear phishing. Many emails that contain malicious data will pose themselves as an official email demanding access immediately. For example, an email may pose as being from Netflix, stating that someone has hacked into your account and you need to enter your information through a link to reverse it. They are designed for you to panic so that you do not take a closer look and discover it is a scam. An easy way to never fall for these is to not click any email links, unless it is from something you have verified. Checking the email of the sender is another easy way to verify it, as these emails will be different from official emails, making them immediately noticeable.
A computer virus must be defined as malware, however there are other things that can do damage to your computer. One of these is Adware, where an unwanted software will throw advertisements on your screen, most often in a web browser. Adware usually sneaks in your computer, being downloaded along with something else or takes advantage of a vulnerability indicating a drive-by download. A drive-by download is an unintended download of a file into the user’s system without their knowledge. A common way to avoid vulnerability is to not click on links and understand when something is too good to be true.
Another type is spyware, which gathers information about you, including things like payment information and passwords. Spyware usually comes in through a security vulnerability or spear phishing. These vulnerabilities can let in other viruses, like Ransomware. Ransomware prevents users from accessing their system or personal files and demands a payment in order to regain access.
Computer viruses are dangerous, however they can not come in with someone letting them in. This is why being smart with the computer is very important. Doing basic actions such as not clicking on suspicious links and paying close attention to who is sending emails can save your personal information. Thus understanding and following ways to protect yourself is very important and can protect your computer.
