How To Keep Your Computer Safe From Harmful Viruses and Trojans

Most of us are blissfully unaware of the extent of damage that malware can cause until we actually face its wrath, and many times it is too late by then to do anything. A malware assault may result in data loss, identity theft, and system crashes causing substantial loss of money as well as time. Sometimes the damage caused by malicious software can be irreparable.

The epidemic is growing so fast that every year users are facing losses amounting to billions of dollars. The fight against this malware menace is to be fought at two ends. On one end, software manufacturers are working around the clock to make their applications more robust and plugging the possible security loopholes. On the other end, users are on their own in this fight and have to take the responsibility of dealing with malware and related errors.

The goal of this article is to help you understand the causes and identify the solutions to malware errors. It is important to take note that user vigilance is going to be critical while combating this problem. Please follow the list of Do’s and Don’ts below, which will help keep computer virus and Trojans away:

1. You must have a reliable anti-virus utility installed on your computer and use it to perform a complete scan of your system on a regular basis. You must also keep your anti-virus updated so that it is able to fight new viruses that are released almost daily. This is a very important task that users tend to shrug off once they have installed anti-virus software. Also, if you find suspicious files, such as d.exe running on your computer, you must immediately perform a full system scan. You must also scan your PC if you feel that something is wrong with legitimate Windows files, such as wscntfy.exe that belongs to the Windows Security Center.

2. Do not browse or download anything from sites that look dubious. You should also be careful of sites that offer freeware and shareware software. You should absolutely avoid the sites that offer keys and cracks and claim to enable you to install pirated software. Anything that is free from an unknown source should raise eyebrows and should be kept at arms length.

3. You should always perform a thorough scan of any CD or disk before copying any files or information from it. Often, we assume that CDs from known sources are free from any malicious software but you never know.

4. Do not open email attachments from sources that you do not know. Even if you know the sender, avoid opening files with dubious names and extensions as they may contain viruses and other malware. It could be a possibility that an email from a known source has been generated by a virus.

5. You must ensure that all software on your computer is updated frequently. This will make sure that your software such as operating system and applications are updated with the latest patches and security holes that are frequently misused by the viruses to enter your system.

6. In addition to anti-virus software, you must make use of a good registry cleaner to scan and repair entries that are corrupted by malware. Cleaning the registry with a good registry tool helps you ensure complete malware removal from your computer.

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How To Keep Your Computer Safe From Harmful Viruses and Trojans