Scanning your computer for viruses and worms at least once every week should be considered a necessary task depending on your habits as a user. The first thing you need to consider is how much you browse the web. Don't think of this in terms of hours because you could spend all day on a trusted site like Facebook.com and never get infected with malware. However there's no saying where back-links lead, and a disguised URL or advertisement could help you fill out your email account pretty fast.
Magnitude of usage, and therefore of risk, should be measured in terms of the 'discovery quotient', or the new places you visit on the web in a given time frame. Then you need to calculate how many of these have you been prompted for by your browser or internet security software. This result could put you in one of three categories for the kinds of internet users there are. The first is users who generally stick to trusted or known sites, or at least those recommended by trusted ones. These users will rarely face a crash, unless it's a targeted attack or a botnet within the network.
If you are the kind of home PC user who has antivirus and internet security enabled the year round, probably with antivirus installation from a certified technical support online company, and discover new websites every so often, you've minimalistic chances of blue screen errors or disk drive corruption. If you are the third kind of user, low protection and greater risk threat, then consider getting an online tech support team to scan your computer and install an updated antivirus right away.
So how did your computer really get infected? Here are the causes. Remember, to remove the virus or malware, you may need help depending on the level of infection.
Running programs with default settings is the prevalent reason for malware infection. Default settings are easy for spyware to locate, and these can be easily taken advantage of. For example the Flashback malware that has infected Mac OSX, was downloaded by most users because it looked like a Flash update. Similarly, browsing the web with javascript enabled or using Adobe Acrobat or Reader with default settings can make your PC vulnerable.
Opening email or following email links without firewall and email protection installed is the most common reason for successful phishing scams. Spam filters and internet security is needed even for the most cautious users and people who store financial information in their mailboxes. Forums and chat rooms are other places where your email could be harvested and later spammed using spyware. Remedially clear browser history, cache, and cookies.
Even the most well protected home users fall prey to socially engineered web attacks. Behavioral protection is the best way to ensure that no bundled malware executes a malicious attempt on your data. Online antivirus support can help your computer perform better with customized settings, run faster with tune up utilities, and defend against any corruption or accidental deletion with backup and recovery support.
Cathy Stones brings her experience in working with trusted technicians to troubleshoot antivirus and antispyware software issues. Cathy draws on an extensive resource for virus and security solutions available here http://goo.gl/D2OGY and her regular feeds here http://goo.gl/l9uWC to create a list of the top 5 free PC protection software on the market today.
