Protecting Your PC From Viruses

Computers are extremely useful tools which are used for both pleasure and business. Because the information we store on our computers is important the threat of viruses is even greater than before. There are now more viruses floating around on the internet than there have ever been in the past. This means that there is a large chance that you might suffer from a virus infection.

What Is A Virus

A computer virus is a piece of software which is able to make copies of itself and then infect other files on your computer. This is how it spreads to other computers. Computer viruses are dangerous because they can quickly and easily spread to other computers and delete files as they go.

Virus Protection

Anyone who has a computer needs to take the threat of viruses seriously. This is especially important if you use the internet regularly. There are a few things that you can do to reduce the risk of viruses:

Protect Your Data

The data on your computer is probably more valuable than the hardware itself. This means that you should back up your computer on a regular basis. Make sure that anything important on your computer is backed up and kept safe. This means that no matter what happens, your information will be safe.

In the worst case scenario you will be able to start again from scratch and still have all of your important data.

Antivirus

You must have a good quality virus scanner installed on your computer. These are sophisticated pieces of software which will scan through the files on your computer to check for viruses. You should update the software on a regular basis by downloading new virus definitions from the internet.

Downloads

A lot of viruses are spread through illegal sites distributing full version software. You should never download or share pirated software because this is a very good way to get viruses.

You must be careful when downloading from the internet. If you do download anything then use your virus scanner to scan through it before you attempt opening it.

Filter Spam

You must be on the lookout for spam. These are unsolicited email messages which are very annoying. However, they are also often dangerous. Spam can contain phishing emails which will try to steal your identity.

You might not think your computer is very important but that's not true. It is essential that you take its security seriously. Your computer may be replaceable but your information is not.

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