Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Computer

How To Protect Your MAC and PC From Viruses

This article gives a few general tips to help you to protect your computer and MAC from viruses. People often wonder why programmers create viruses. Some people do it because they have nothing better to do, so will try to infect as many computers as they can. Some malware protection companies will create viruses that only their software can cure, so that they may sell more of their virus protects. Other viruses are created by hackers.

Why a hacker may infect your computer or Mac

A hacker may infect a large number of devices so that they can terrorize online companies. A hacker will threaten to freeze up a website if the owners do not pay up. In many occasions the company will pay up and not contact the police because they are afraid of their website going down (freezing up) if the hacker decides to retaliate. If the company does not pay up then the hacker sends a signal to all of the infected computers, telling them to keep visiting the website until the server cannot handle the traffic and freezes up. Other hackers create viruses so that they can gain access to your computer and steal your personal details and information.

Update frequently

It is a pain in the rump having to update all the time, but it is the best way of protecting your computer and Mac. It is a pain updating because you often have to wait for it to install, and sometimes you have to restart your computer/Mac. You also get updates all the time for Flash, Java, your OS, etc, which is annoying. You must grit your teeth and update because hackers can access older versions easier than newer versions. Here is how it works: you have a piece of popular software and hackers go to work finding ways to use it to access your computer. When an update comes along the hackers have to start from square one and find a new way to attack your computer with a virus. If you keep the old version then they are going to be able to use their old viruses and attack methods, whereas if you update then they have to start from square one again.

Get a malware/virus checker from a store

Do not download one online, even if you have read loads of great reviews about it, and even if your best pal Larry says that the online one is great. There are hundreds of reasons why you should buy a virus checker from a traditional store instead of downloading one online. For example, the online ones are often written by hackers who will leave a hole in the security for them to access your computer. The online ones will often install a few viruses on your computer as you install the software. You will then run a check and the new virus checking software will find the viruses that it installed, and you will be fooled into thinking that you have had those viruses for ages, and you will be fooled into thinking you found a great virus checker.

Buy a virus checker from a traditional store that has a well-known brand name because the manufacturers are obliged to create good programs that are heavily tested. This is because they will lose millions of dollars if their software does not work correctly. Traditional stores will often check the reputation of the virus checkers they sell, because they would suffer damage to their reputation if the virus checkers they sold did not work properly. The ones you buy from traditional stores (they have a dvd/cd to install) will cost you more money, but they are worth it in the end because they offer real protection.

Pop up blockers

Turn yours on and set exceptions for websites that you trust. For example, online banks often use a pop up system. You can set exceptions to allow your online bank to use pop ups. Why use pop up blockers? Because nasty webmasters will have pop ups appear randomly at weird times, and every now and then when it pops up you will miss the event and accidentally click the links on the pop up. When you accidentally click the pop ups link it will start downloading a virus and mess up your computer or Mac.

Set your system settings to high security

Your operating system will have a sub section on security. It is hard to be specific about what it is called because different Microsoft and Apple operating systems call it a different thing. Nevertheless, both operating systems have sub sections that allow you to set your computers security. It will probably be set on “Recommended” or some other middle range setting. You should set yours to high. It will make computing a little more inconvenient, but will make it a lot harder for viruses to infect your computer/Mac.

Written By

My name is Sonia Jackson from Bestessaytips.com. We’ll help you to solve all problems with writing different essays and research papers in a short time.

9 Comments

9 Comments

  1. John

    December 31, 2012 at 11:33 am

    This is a good point about buying the Malware/Virus checker software from a store. I never thought about this. The only problem is that my local stores only carry the huge companies.

  2. Richa

    January 2, 2013 at 11:44 am

    Great points, Sonia. The security becomes a key concern today, with so many hackers around. Thanks for sharing.

  3. Elly

    January 5, 2013 at 6:33 am

    Pretty much agree to all of it.
    An updated virus definition will surely be a good protection.

    • Sonia Jackson

      January 8, 2013 at 7:07 am

      Thanks

      • preeti bhatia

        January 10, 2013 at 12:07 pm

        Buying an anti virus software checker from a traditional store is a good idea. But for those who cant afford to buy it from these stores as it costs more. Are all the online anti virus software easily hacked by the hackers?

  4. Julia Spencer

    January 19, 2013 at 12:25 pm

    Frequent updating can be really much helpful and can prevent you from having any problems with your PC

    Julia Spencer’s recent post.. 25 Fresh and Professional Responsive HTML and CSS Templates

  5. Frank Norman

    February 4, 2013 at 12:28 pm

    I used to have many popups on my browser, I already installed a blocker but there are still some of it that passes through. Any idea how to completely blocked all of this?

  6. SKatrine

    January 15, 2016 at 9:45 am

    How to protect from virus… interesting! This for me is a discovery, so thank you for your useful article and I will use your advice!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

You May Also Like

Tech

In today’s digital era, where the Internet plays a vital role in our lives, it’s important to put security and privacy first. With the...

Tech

Tailgating is a smart use of social engineering by intruders to get around traditional security systems. It involves people using rare, natural opportunities to...

Computer

It may seem with data security breaches that it’s less a matter of if than when. Account security is vital, yet hackers continue to...

Computer

One in four businesses is likely to experience a data breach, with the average cyberattack costing businesses up to $3.62 million in 2017, according to...