With malware becoming increasingly prevalent, knowing how to keep your computer safe and protected is becoming a need-to-know skill for any PC owner. While you don’t need to know how to code or manually browse through your boot files to hunt down those malicious programs, there are a few good habits you can start that will go a long way towards protecting your computer.
Have Antivirus Software
Having a good antivirus software setup can help stop malicious programs before they even get onto your PC. While most computers come with Windows Defender for PC as well as a free trial of McAfee or another name brand software, you should do some research and find out what antivirus software fits your needs and purchase a full version of it. It might also be beneficial to get a supplemental program like Malwarebytes to help catch anything your primary might miss.
Backup Regularly
While viruses and malware can be a problem, they’re not the only thing that can bring down a computer. Failing hardware like a PSU or cooling unit could make your computer unusable until it’s either repaired or replaced, and if it has to be replaced, it’s not always easy to transfer over any drives you had prior, especially if you’re not a big on DIY jobs with your PC. Backing up your computer on an external drive will make sure you always have your files available in case of the worst. When picking up an external drive, aim for at least 1TB of storage and one that has an auto-backup feature that will simply back up your files for you when you run it.
Be Smart When Downloading
Always be aware of what you’re downloading or opening. Many kinds of malware disguise themselves as either normal programs, links, spreadsheets, or other documents. Be familiar with file extensions and what kinds of files they’re associated with. For example, if an email has an image attached, but the file extension is ‘.exe,’ odds are it’s malware. If you are trying to download an application online, for example, a game or some other program, make sure the installer matches what you’re downloading. Also, be wary of files that simply download as ‘Setup.exe’ with no other identifiers, not contained in some zip file or other folder, and no readme or other documentation included with them.
Keep Track of What’s Running
Knowing what’s running on your computer and keeping tabs on things is always a good thing to make a habit of. Using task manager, you can keep track of all of your running programs and processes, as well as prioritize what programs open on startup. Since a lot of malware programs activate on startup, the startup tab can be a nice way to keep them from kicking into gear temporarily while you run some scans to delete them.