5 Steps to Bulletproof Your Computer Against Viruses: Banish Fear and Doubt!

What is a computer virus?

A computer virus isn't fatal to your PC, but it will spread quickly through your system and cause a lot of annoying problems. It can introduce unwanted files and pop-ups to your laptop, slow it down by encrypting files, or damage folders and documents.

If a virus has corrupted an important file and you have no backup, there is only one solution: delete it.

Trends in Computer Viruses, 2021-2022: A Steady Rise

Like other technologies, computer viruses have become smarter. For most of us, they have become too smart. According to Google Trends, interest in them has risen sharply: the curve goes straight up.

Data from Google Trends for "computer virus":

Types of Computer Viruses

The “payload” is the part of the virus that does the damage. Malicious attackers can program the payload to do anything harmful, from the simplest prank to the destruction of data. While some payloads are benign, most will cause problems for your computer and put your data at risk.

There are many types of computer viruses, including:

• Boot Sector Virus: These viruses infect the boot sector, causing longer startup times or preventing your computer from starting up altogether.
• Network Virus: These viruses operate over the internet and infiltrate your computer through web browsers. Modern browsers like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox often have built-in defenses against these types of viruses. However, older browsers may not have this protection.
• File Infector Virus: As the name suggests, these viruses infect and corrupt files and folders.
• Browser Hijacker Virus: This type of virus is relatively harmless, but it alters browser information and settings.
• Polyomorphic Virus: The most common in 2022, these viruses can evade antivirus detection and perform malicious actions on your PC.

Five Ways to Protect Your Computer from Viruses

As viruses get smarter, you have to be smarter about dealing with them. Here are the top five ways to prevent computer viruses. In some cases, it's necessary to use two or even three of these methods to keep your computer safe.

#1. Back up your computer regularly

No matter how well guarded, a jewelry store can be robbed. Similarly, no matter how secure you think your computer is, a programmer can find a way to toss a malicious file onto it and infect it. That's why you should back up all your data, so that you suffer no loss in such an eventuality.

The best full computer backup tool is Todo Backup software, which can also be downloaded for free. It has three versions: Free, Home, and Workstation.

The Home edition is recommended for personal use, while the Workstation edition is intended for organizations. The great thing about the Home edition is that it integrates with your computer and continuously backs up all your data, whether you download or install it.

For your first backup, you can start with the free version.

2. Install and regularly run a reputable paid antivirus program.

Install a paid anti-virus to protect your computer from viruses.

While Windows now comes with a firewall and Defender, which blocks some basic viruses, you still need a paid anti-virus program to protect against more malicious ones. The free ones are not as good.

While paid antivirus software can automatically kill viruses as they arrive, it cannot automatically kill ones that were embedded in files on your computer before the software was installed. So regular scans are necessary to avoid that problem.

Check out the five best antivirus programs for virus scans and removal.

#3. Keep your operating system and software up to date

Update the operating system or software to prevent computer viruses

If your Windows prompts you to update, do so immediately without hesitation. Otherwise, try to keep your operating system up to date. Older versions become increasingly vulnerable to malware and other threats.

Fourth, use firewalls.

Install firewall software to protect against computer viruses:

A firewall is an advanced security system that monitors traffic going in and out of your network. Like its namesake, it acts as a barrier between sources of traffic you trust and those you don't, providing antivirus protection in the process. Windows comes with a built-in firewall, but it's not made for this specific purpose. As such, there are many other firewall providers available online.

#5. Be careful with external storage drives

External storage devices like CDs, DVDs, and USB drives may contain malicious data and viruses that can spread to your computer. It's therefore wise to be cautious with such drives and scan their data before using them.

Five Tips for Avoiding Computer Viruses

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as the saying goes, and the same is true of computer viruses. So here are five more tips for avoiding them:

#1. Don't open email attachments you weren't expecting.

This is how infections typically happen. Suppose you receive an email with a suspicious attachment from someone you do not know. Do not open it. And if you do, do not download or run any files that it contains.

That said, it is still a good idea to scan attachments before opening them.

2. Beware of plain-text e-mail.

One way to avoid getting infected via e-mail is to read messages on your phone, which will show them in text format, rather than as attachments. Since it is not possible to infect a phone (or a computer) by opening a benign text file, this is a safe way to check your mail.

Third, beware of viral pranks.

There have been virus rumors that spread like wildfire online, attaching themselves to messages that urge you to forward them to everyone you know as a warning. Once opened, they infect their victims with misinformation.

#4. Suspicious Links and Hyperlinks

Links and hyperlinks are another common way to get infected. So be suspicious of any such enticement. If you receive a questionable link that does not begin with “www” or contains misspellings or odd-sounding words, do not click on it.

Similarly, do not click on suspicious links that you see in websites or documents, because they could infect your computer with a virus.

#5. Don't download anything from pirate or untrusted websites.

There are plenty of pirate sites that let you download them for free, but they come with viruses that infect your data or bombard you with pop-up ads.

The Bottom Line

The choice is up to you on how to prevent and avoid computer viruses. Each method has its uses, so choose the one that's best for you.

Regardless of which approach you choose, data can still become corrupted or lost, so you should back up regularly, just in case.