By
Teresa L Thomas
Submitted On July 21, 2014
Warnings about viruses are everywhere. Viruses in your computer
can be very serious. If you don't have virus protection on your
computer, you need to get some immediately. Even if you need to use a
free antivirus, anything is better than nothing. You can receive viruses
several different ways. You can receive them in emails, documents
(through macros), internet downloads, just browsing the internet and
more.
These files can spread to other computers easily. Some viruses are created to get your contacts from your email program and then have a party emailing themselves to all of your friends. Those friends get infected and then the party spreads. This is how a virus likes to work. It infects and then it spreads.
The worst thing about viruses is that someone can infect your computer with a Trojan virus. They can be downloaded to your computer through an innocent looking email that has a link. For example, an e-card that looks like it is from a friend can contain a Trojan virus.
Trojans can actually be used to turn on your webcam so they can spy on you without your knowledge. Very creepy thought isn't it? It gives me the heeby jeebies just thinking about it. Most webcams have a light that comes on to let you know that it is on. Some of them will also let you know by loading in the system tray. To be safe, always close your laptop or unplug your webcam from your computer. Also make sure you know ahead of time that someone is sending you a link or attachment so that you know it is safe to open.
Using restore points will not get rid of viruses. Even if some files are deleted during a restore session, the virus will have most likely spread to other files. Resetting your computer back to factory defaults will get rid of everything because the hard drive is re-imaged. The problem with this option is that if you backed up your files before resetting to factory defaults, those files will most likely be infected.
The best thing to do is keep updated antivirus software on your computer. If you don't want to pay for one, there are plenty of free antivirus options available. Avast (very popular) has a free home edition that you can download and so does AVG (just as good as the paid ones). They can be updated and they check all of your files in the background. They also check for spyware. It is best to manually run a full scan on your computer at least every week to make sure nothing was missed.
If your computer is already infected, you may want to think about a clean up tool. These programs are not meant to keep your computer clean. They just help clean up your computer before installing an antivirus program. Some antivirus software will not install onto an infected computer.
Be warned though, clean up tools are very aggressive and could cause unfixable damage. If you choose to go this route, make sure the software vendor has a support number that you can call for help. The best software for this situation seems to be Malwarebytes. Read PCMagazine's review here. They used an infested test computer and it didn't damage anything.
These files can spread to other computers easily. Some viruses are created to get your contacts from your email program and then have a party emailing themselves to all of your friends. Those friends get infected and then the party spreads. This is how a virus likes to work. It infects and then it spreads.
The worst thing about viruses is that someone can infect your computer with a Trojan virus. They can be downloaded to your computer through an innocent looking email that has a link. For example, an e-card that looks like it is from a friend can contain a Trojan virus.
Trojans can actually be used to turn on your webcam so they can spy on you without your knowledge. Very creepy thought isn't it? It gives me the heeby jeebies just thinking about it. Most webcams have a light that comes on to let you know that it is on. Some of them will also let you know by loading in the system tray. To be safe, always close your laptop or unplug your webcam from your computer. Also make sure you know ahead of time that someone is sending you a link or attachment so that you know it is safe to open.
Using restore points will not get rid of viruses. Even if some files are deleted during a restore session, the virus will have most likely spread to other files. Resetting your computer back to factory defaults will get rid of everything because the hard drive is re-imaged. The problem with this option is that if you backed up your files before resetting to factory defaults, those files will most likely be infected.
The best thing to do is keep updated antivirus software on your computer. If you don't want to pay for one, there are plenty of free antivirus options available. Avast (very popular) has a free home edition that you can download and so does AVG (just as good as the paid ones). They can be updated and they check all of your files in the background. They also check for spyware. It is best to manually run a full scan on your computer at least every week to make sure nothing was missed.
If your computer is already infected, you may want to think about a clean up tool. These programs are not meant to keep your computer clean. They just help clean up your computer before installing an antivirus program. Some antivirus software will not install onto an infected computer.
Be warned though, clean up tools are very aggressive and could cause unfixable damage. If you choose to go this route, make sure the software vendor has a support number that you can call for help. The best software for this situation seems to be Malwarebytes. Read PCMagazine's review here. They used an infested test computer and it didn't damage anything.
Teresa L Thomas
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