When you think of computer safety, the first thing that comes to mind is avoiding and preventing a computer virus. Everyone knows that a computer virus can destroy your laptop to the point where it’s completely non-functional. If it hasn’t happened to you before, it’s happened to someone you know.
The thing is, we never really talk about how we get a virus in the first place. You probably have a firewall on your computer, but you should still know where it comes from.
In general, attacks come through four mediums. Even though you typically use them every day, there are still steps you can take to protect your computer.
Internet Viruses
An obvious way to get a computer infection is through the Internet. It would be best to always exercise caution before downloading any file or document. Always check the source and be particularly careful of .exe files. At any rate, use anti-virus software to scan all files before downloading.
Besides randomly downloading files on the Internet, email is the next most common source of threats. Be careful of downloading email attachments that are forwarded to several addresses. If you receive an out-of-character message from a friend or family member, send the email right to your spam folder.
Removable Storage
A virus from removable storage may not occur as frequently as the sources mentioned above, but it’s still possible. Don’t let just anybody plug a flash drive into your computer. And when they do, have the files checked by anti-virus software.
Bluetooth
Even less common than removable storage, a virus can also come from Bluetooth transfers. You can unknowingly have a virus transferred to your computer through a Bluetooth transfer. Again, the answer is to use anti-virus software to check all files gained through file transfer.
