If you’re a loyal PC user then you’ve probably been faced with troublesome virus problems. It absolutely gets under your skin when viruses infect your computer or laptop! Things go haywire, important files go missing, software gets corrupted, your computer runs slower than it should, and the worst part is that personal information like your bank account details might get stolen!
Not only that, a virus infection also takes up a lot of your precious time because you have to figure out what is wrong with your computer and find the source of the infection. Well, if you plan on keeping your computer and privacy secure, then you’ve come to the right place. Getting your laptop or computer repaired could be costly if you don’t get an ethical and trustworthy IT solutions expert to help you out. So, the best way to protect your PC is to take some preventive measures, and we’ve prepared a couple of tips here to help you out.
Anti-virus software
Seems pretty simple isn’t it? But you’d be surprised at how many users don’t actually have any anti-virus software installed in their system. Regardless of which version of Windows you’re running on your machine, the first thing you must do is to install a good anti-virus software. Remember to constantly update the software as soon as the latest version pops up. Always keep in mind that there are always new viruses emerging every day and the more updated your software, the higher your chances of virus prevention.
Firewalls
The Internet is filled with malicious threats that could ruin your network and your computer so be sure to protect it with a ‘Firewall’.
What is a Firewall you ask?
Well, it basically works to control/filter the incoming and outgoing network traffic to suss out unauthorized or potentially harmful types of data over the Internet. Best of all, Firewalls ensures your security when you’re on the net and blocks out unauthorized persons from accessing all your vital information on your computer.
File-sharing risks
When you open your computer’s operating system on the Internet, you’re also taking the risk of allowing access to your computer’s hard drive in order to ‘share’ your movie or music files. You never really know where your file-sharing sources are coming from and the type of viruses that are in these files. Your best bet is to turn off the file-sharing ability on your computer and stop visiting illegal file-sharing websites.
Do not open e-mails from unknown sources
How many times have you received an e-mail with the subject line saying something like this, ‘Congratulations Tony! You’ve won $1 million dollars! Click here to claim your prize.’? These e-mails usually carry infected file attachments that are dangerous and could include potentially harmful viruses that will wreck your entire operating system.
These e-mails are usually sent by hackers or virus senders who have malicious intent. They may want to steal personal information like credit card details or hack into your social media accounts but sometimes they do it for no reason at all. As Michael Caine aptly puts it in The Dark Knight Rises, “Some men just want to watch the world burn.” And that world he’s referring to is yours.
These e-mails can also be accidentally sent from someone on your contact list which of course increases the likelihood of you opening the e-mail. So, be extra careful and make sure that your spam filter is always on, and when in doubt, just delete it.
Enable DNS protection
A Domain Name System (DNS) is basically the standard technology for managing the names of computers, services or any other resources connected to the Internet. Your computer or systems network is at risk when you don’t have DNS protection because a contaminated DNS server might redirect you to fake and unsafe websites on the Internet.
These websites will contain harmful viruses that will automatically install itself into your machine or network. There are a few ways to protect yourself against phishing sites and a particularly helpful one is to change your DNS service functioning principle. If things get a little bit too complicated for you, just speak to one of our computer repair experts in Melbourne and we’ll help you sort it out!
If you are facing unsolvable computer or networking issues, Business Works provides top quality, expert Business IT support and solutions, networking services, and computer and laptop repairs across Melbourne. Our dedication to honest, efficient and expert service ensures that you get only the most efficient IT solutions.