10 Simple Tricks To Protect Against Computer Viruses
D. S. Mitchell
The massive hacker attack on Equifax has unnerved many of us. According to reports, half of the American adult population was compromised by the attack. I was one of those who had their information stolen. If you haven’t frozen your accounts, or registered with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, you should do that immediately. If you want to deal first with Equifax their website for this event is: Equifaxsecurity2017.com, or you can call, 1-866-447-7559 . Experts are advising that you freeze your credit at all three credit bureaus.
Equifax is a huge company that has failed to protect our most sensitive information. We can’t do anything about that, accept call or write Congress, but it highlights our need to take whatever steps we can to protect ourselves and our crucial information. The bulk of that security, must naturally, be directed at our personal computers, the storehouse of all our life information. In January 13, 2013 MoneyTalksNews published an article on ways to block computer viruses. The Sept/Oct 2017 AARP magazine supported those suggestions with its article, “7 Ways To Block Computer Viruses”.
Don’t forget the WannaCry virus that in the spring of 2017 wrested control of over 200,000 computers across 150 countries in one of the most vicious international cyber attacks in history. The saddest part of the WannaCry episode is that Microsoft had, previous to the attack, issued a routine update to the Windows operating system that would have blocked the virus. Anyone that had downloaded the Microsoft update was spared the misery of the massive hack. This incident was a reminder that we must be vigilant and follow some common sense rules to protect our PC from outside attacks.
The FBI recently issued a warning to the public about a computer scam that starts with a phone call. This scam involved the scammers calling people, claiming their company worked with a major software company. The caller would tell the mark that his computer was sending error messages to them over the web and through that communication had identified a virus. “No problem” the scammer tells his target, “Just pay a small fee, and we will fix the problem remotely by installing our anti-virus software.”
Once the telephone scammer has your fee, your credit card number, and computer access, they don’t stop viruses they install them. It seems hard to imagine that something like this would work, but apparently in the case of thousands of people, it sounded good. There is a list below that gives you 10 time-tested means to protect yourself. However, the most important thing we can all do to protect ourselves, is use some common sense. Shred all sensitive documents. Don’t give information to unknown callers and:
- Strong password: Try a short phrase. “Cute_*shoes!” Definitely avoid the most common passwords, 123456, or its closest competitor, 234567.
- Buy legitimate software and Register it: In the case of the WannaCry virus only versions of Windows that had been purchased from a licensed retailer and registered with Microsoft received the upgrade that blocked WannaCry. The reason that so many systems outside the U.S. were affected is that they were running on bootlegged or borrowed versions of Windows.
- Regular backups: The easiest way to recover from any malware attack is to restore a recent backup of your files.
- Run pop-up blocker: Google Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge include pop-up blockers that keep potentially dangerous ads from appearing on your PC.
- Be sure all software is up to date: Set your system to automatically download and install updates from trusted software providers.
- Use a reputable anti-virus program and keep it updated: Many anti-virus companies release new products as attacks occur. **Many excellent free protection systems exist, such as Microsoft Security Essentials.
- Firewall: Mac’s and PC’s have built-in firewall software. Be sure to enable your system.
- Minimize Downloads: Be sure that your web browser security settings are high enough to detect unauthorized downloads. With Internet Explorer medium security is the lowest level to use.
- Instantly leave websites you have been routed to without your consent: If you are on the site, DO NOT click on anything, doing so could trigger a malware download to your PC.
- DO NOT click on links or open attachments from email addresses you do not know: Just remember John Podesta, and what happened to him after opening an unfamiliar email. According to AARP, “one of the biggest sources of malware is fraudulent emails, called spam. Seeking information from you via spam is called phishing. Delete unsolicited emails from unfamiliar people or companies”.
Hope this cobbled together list helps you protect your information. We cannot protect ourselves from the hackers going after the huge depositories of personal information held at such giant companies as Equifax, but we can take these simple common sense steps that should help us sleep better at night.
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