It takes more than the best antivirus software to implement full virus protection
The most common question I’ve gotten from a client with an infected PC is this: “How did I get a virus, when I have the best virus protection installed on my PCs?”
Implementing robust virus protection is the most important step you can take to mitigate the risk of viruses, but under many PC configurations, it is as easy as a mouse-click to bypass virus protection and install the latest malware. Virus programmers design their initial presentation with this in mind, in an attempt to confuse the end-user into installing viruses on top of their antivirus software.
1. Don’t click on banner ads
Malicious banner ads are advertisements that can be shown not only on malicious websites, but can sometimes work their way into legitimate websites as well. Simply put, a banner ad is never something you should click on. If there is a product displayed in a banner ad, but you are interested in the product, then open up a browser window and google the solution manually. From there, you can easily find the legitimacy of the solution in the Google search results.
2. Popups can be VERY misleading
Misleading popups can also enable the user to circumvent your virus protection. The first thing to know about a pop-up, is to NEVER click a button, even if it says “close” or “cancel”. A virus programmer can map these buttons to anything; including, sidestepping your virus protection software. Instead, use the Windows-embedded “X” to close the window. If this doesn’t work or leads to more pop-ups, then use the Task Manager to disable the process and run a virus scan, just in case.
An effective misleading pop-up can ask a user to “scan my PC”, or “speed up my PC”, or “fix errors”. While it is tempting to fix errors easily, this is always too good to be true. The pop-up does not necessarily mean you are already infected – but it can be the windows to a virus installation. Make sure your browser is configured to block pop-ups, and only enable them on trusted sites.
3. Don’t browse aimlessly
As discussed, banner ads can be placed even on legitimate sites, but they are even more prevalent on unknown sites. Theses sites can make it on the top search results of Google, Bing, or other search engines, making them very easy to find. Sites themselves can be infected, and be designed for the sole reason to infect your PC. An unknown site producing a single pop-up is a red flag – close the site, and see if you can find what you are looking for elsewhere.
4. Don’t test a piece of software yourself
For every task you may want to perform, there is probably a legitimate free piece of software that can help you do it better or faster. While this is a good thing, many viruses hide in installations that are illusive – they don’t do what they say they do; instead, they circumvent virus protection and infect your PC. If you find a piece of software that you want to try, instead of downloading and testing it, do a Google search – read some reviews. If it is in fact a piece of malware, you will find out very quickly from a Google search.
5. Download your programs and drivers from the source
If you are looking for a specific program or a driver, make sure to get it from the developers website. Another technique of virus programmers is to host a site named something like “helpfulsoftware” or “alldrivers” – there is no helpful software or drivers on many of these sites. HP, Dell, Microsoft, etc., host all of the drivers you might need. And in a case of freeware or shareware, once you have validated the software by reading reviews, get it directly from the developers website.
6. Scan your downloads before you unzip or launch them
Take a few seconds and right-click your downloaded file before launching it. For most virus software, you should have a contextual menu option to scan that file quickly. This is a good practice. Most virus protection software will automatically scan downloads, but many do not. It can’t hurt to do a manual scan each and every time you download a piece of software that is untested.
7. Avoid email links
Even the most computer savvy person can be confused as to whether or not a link in an email is valid. If you don’t know the sender specifically, then its a good idea to avoid these emails altogether.
Many virus protection software packages do not do a good job scanning email, especially if Thunderbird is being used. Don’t blindly click the link in the hope that your antivirus software will mitigate the risk.
Even if you know the sender, the email may be part of a phishing attack – this means that the sender that is reported is not in fact the source of the email. In this case, call the sender – verify that the email came from them. They might appreciate the info in the case that their email had been hacked.
8. Install all of your updates regularly
Security patches are regularly deployed to Windows, as well as other vulnerable software such as Java, Flash, Adobe, your browsers, and more. These patches may represent an inconvenience, but they are released for a reason. Take the time to install these – the updates are addressing some vulnerability that virus programmers have already found and exploited. If these are not kept up to date, then virus protection can only go so far – it won’t be able to protect against exploits found in network-capable programs.
9. Keep a good backup
Make sure that you have a viable backup for your data. It should have “file versioning” capabilities, which means that you can restore versions of files up to a certain amount of time in the past (we recommend 14 – 30 days). Local backup solutions can be implemented cheaply, or even for free in some cases. Having a local backup with versioning is a must – otherwise, it would be possible to overwrite a good backup with a bad one. Encrypted cloud backup solutions are also a good idea, and well worth the price to pay for the peace of mind.
10. Perform a risk assessment, and train yourself and your staff
Perform a complete assessment of the risks to your data, and clearly document the possible security holes. There are nine components of a detailed risk assessment. If you do not have the time or knowledge to perform a risk assessment, get yourself a consultation. Our techs at dmi Networking are experts at data security and risk assessment, and can provide tips and solutions nationwide.