It’s unfortunate that wherever you turn, there’s a possibility that your computer will be overrun by viruses. The best ways to protect yourself include being cautious and installing virus protection, but even those methods are not without fault. Arm yourself with knowledge so that you can do your best to prevent viruses from ruining your PC.
The Top 5 Most Common Ways to Get Viruses on Your PC
You opened an infected email.
Most modern email clients have built-in virus scanning, but some don’t, and none are 100% effective at protecting your computer from virus-infested attachments. So, exercise caution.
Some best practices:
- Don’t open emails from people you don’t know.
- Even if you do know the sender, beware of strange subject lines and other warning signs
- Use a built-in scanner to scan an email before opening it or downloading attachments
- Get a total protection antivirus software solution to reinforce the aforementioned best practices
You’re surfing an unsafe website.
This is perhaps one of the most common ways to get viruses on your PC. It’s hard to put a finger exactly on what makes a website safe or unsafe. Some are more obvious than others, but some have threats hidden in plain sight. A good rule of thumb is that if your gut is telling you that something’s wrong, it probably is.
Furthermore, if you’re served a popup that claims your computer is infected… don’t click it! The only notifications you should trust are the ones that clearly come from your antivirus software. Beware of any and all popups, especially those that make crazy claims.
You assume that antivirus software fully protects you.
Antivirus software will protect you from many threats, but it’s not infallible. Just as people are constantly changing, so are viruses. Even if you just downloaded updates for your antivirus software, there may already be a new threat that wasn’t accounted for.
A best practice is to update antivirus software on a daily basis, and be careful when surfing the internet and opening emails.
…Or you don’t use antivirus software at all.
A lot of people mistakenly think they can just be “smart,” and avoid viruses by being extra-careful while surfing online and going through emails. The plain fact of the matter is that some things just slip through the cracks.
It’s impossible to be constantly vigilant, especially when some virus problems are hidden from plain sight, or disguised in something that doesn’t look like a threat. So instead of taking a chance, install anti-virus software. It’s more than worth the investment.
You’re not using a firewall.
A firewall is an important piece of the puzzle for protecting your PC from outside threats. Most PCs have a built-in firewall that you can activate, but there are other solutions online depending on how much protection you think your PC needs.
If you have one of the most common ways to get viruses on your PC, it’s not too late! Target PC has both laptop virus removal and desktop virus removal. For more information, use the form on our website to get in touch, or call (440)725-0642.