Many of you will notice that this is a thread I started way back in 2007 so here area few updates...
Although computer viruses and spyware infections still happen, the thing that is more and more common is phishing and stealing credit card details, and ransomware.
You can protect yourself and your computer by:
- Do not use the same password for everything.
- If you receive an email from someone you don't know or if you think it looks odd, hover over the senders name or click at the top of the email to see the senders email address. If it is something like
pc-support@micro-softsupport.com you know it is is not genuine.
Most genuine emails will have only one domain at the end of the email address, for example, support@
ebay.com or contact@
argos.co.uk
- To avoid the possibility of your computer being vunerable to attacks, make sure it has the latest security updates on a regular basis. Most computers should do this automatically but do make sure you are up to date.
- If connecting to wireless hotspots, make sure it is password protected and is the official wifi network at that location.
Eg. You stay in a Premier Inn hotel. The Wifi network you see as Premier-Inns Wifi is not the same as PremierInn Wifi. Check the details with the venue.
- If using any public computers eg. in a library, always remember to sign out and tick the box to "not remember your password".
- If you ever get pop messages on your computer or actual phone calls claiming that your system is infected / they are calling from Microsoft and need to update your system, or any other similar story,
ignore it and don not give out any information or follow any advice.
Often you will be directed to download remote desktop software so that the person can take over your computer and either access personal information, or install tools to grab your credit card information.
- We all rely on our computers so much. Many of us have precious photos, work documents, have important files, etc. Make sure you
BACKUP YOUR DATA.
A USB external hard drive costs little these days and you should regularly backup your data. The amount of times I've seen people lose everything is very common!
Then make sure you keep the backup in a safe place!
There are also many online backup facilities available now too so you can backup directly to the cloud.
If you don't fancy that then as I have mentioned a USB external drive is a wise investment.
If you want to be absolutely mega safe, then have a backup that you store off-site too.
In many cases, if your system does become infected by a virus or fails for some reason, it is often easier to restore from a clean backup than to spend hours trying to clean your system of virus and threats.
- If you buy any new devices such as routers or smart gadgets, make sure you 1) change the default password and 2) update the devices software so it is up to date.
Smart devices (especially some cheap ones from abroad) may not have the latest security patches and should be used with caution as criminals can use these devices as ways to get in to your home network.
It is well worth reading up on ways to secure your home routers. Many routers now offer the possibility to isolate devices with a guest or seperate network.