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How to Prevent Viruses
 So your machine is clean! Congratulations! Let's try and keep it that way!
Here are a few tips for keeping the baddies off your pristine machine.
- Make sure your anti-virus software is active and up to date
Check for red or orange exclamation points or similar warning icons in your system tray (lower right corner of your screen). These may be your anti-virus program warning you that you haven't done an update recently. Maybe your "subscription" has expired, or your computer's infected already and the virus is interfering with the updates. Don't ignore these warnings! If they are legitimate (i.e., they come from your anti-virus program and not some software you've never heard of), run an update.
Need recommendations on excellent anti-virus software? Click here.
- Make sure your anti-virus software also protects against spyware
Modern anti-virus software typically protects against spyware as well. If yours doesn't, get an anti-spyware program now. Here are a few good free ones to choose from: Windows Defender, SpyBot Search & Destroy, Ad-Aware. As with anti-virus programs, anti-spyware programs must be kept up to date. Once again, check your system tray for warning icons, or simply open your anti-spyware program and check the status (in XP, click Start >> All Programs >> Your Anti-Spyware).
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| - Make sure your firewall is enabled
The
basic function of a firewall is pretty simple: To stop programs on the
internet from trying to connect to your computer without your
permission. "Worms" are examples of programs that try to do this:
They scan the internet looking for vulnerable machines to infiltrate.
Firewalls stop them by asking a simple question: "Who initiated this 'conversation'?" If the answer is, you did
(for example, by clicking on something), then the firewall allows the
response from the outside program through. If, on the other hand, the
outside program initiated, then the firewall blocks it.
Check to
see whether your firewall is enabled. If you haven't installed a
firewall, you're probably using Windows Firewall. To check its status
in XP, click Start >> Control Panel >> Windows Firewall.
- Make sure all critical Windows patches are applied
Windows
is a very big, complex program which contains errors and
vulnerabilities which Microsoft fixes over time by issuing monthly
"patches." On most computers these patches are applied automatically
as they become available. (In XP, click Control Panel >>
Automatic Updates to check your own settings.)
Even if the
patches are set to download automatically, they sometimes require your
involvement. Check your system tray for a yellow shield with an
exclamation point. If you see one, click on it and follow the
directions.
- Switch from Windows Update to Microsoft Update
In
addition to Windows, Microsoft's other products (Office, for example)
also contain holes through which malware can enter your computer.
Microsoft issues periodic patches for these products as well.
To automate these updates, you'll need to switch from Windows Update to Microsoft Update:
- Open Internet Explorer (the updates won't work with other browsers)
- Click Tools
- Click Windows Update
- If
you see "Welcome to Microsoft Update," then no further action is
necessary -- you're already using Microsoft instead of Windows Update.
- If not, you should see an invitation to use Microsoft Update. Accept it by clicking "Go" next to the invite.
- Turn on your pop-up blocker
Most
browsers have built-in pop-up blockers -- make sure yours is enabled.
In Internet Explorer, click Tools >> Pop-up Blocker.
In FireFox, click Tools >> Options >> Content.
- Install a router
A
router is a small box which sits between your computer and your
cable/DSL/satellite modem. All communications between your computer
and the internet must pass through this box.
Routers provide two forms of invaluable protection:
- A hardware firewall
A
hardware firewall is much more difficult to penetrate than a software
firewall (like Windows Firewall) because malware can't go around it by
exploiting vulnerabilities in Windows.
- A private address
Every
computer on the internet has an address to enable other computers to
communicate with it. This is called a "public IP address." Any
computer with a public IP can be contacted from any other computer on
the internet. Which is great for communication, but also means that
the bad guys can at least attempt to infiltrate your computer.
The router protects your computer by assigning it a private IP address, reserving the public IP
for itself (the router). This way, devices on the internet can "see"
the router, but they can't "see" your computer because its address is private.
Only the router knows your address. All internet communications pass
through the router, and one of its functions is to ensure that each
message is "routed" to the correct private address (your computer).
It's kind of like getting an unlisted phone number!
- Avoid file-sharing software
A
large percentage of the files traded using software like Kazaa and
LimeWire are infected. Sooner or later you're likely to download one
of them.
- When surfing the web, use a service to warn you of "bad" sites
Most
modern browsers will provide some level of protection against attack
sites, spam sites, and/or phishing sites. Check the Help for the
browser you use and make sure this protection is enabled. If your
browser doesn't provide good protection, switch to one that does, such
as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, or FireFox. You might also want to try a service like McAfee Site Advisor
(free) or Norton Site Safety (comes with Norton Anti-virus and Norton
Internet Security). These services place green check-marks on search
results pages to indicate which sites are deemed trustworthy.
- Don't open email you don't absolutely trust
Delete it instead.
- Don't open attachments you don't absolutely trust
Instead, save the attachment to your desktop, then scan it with your anti-virus software before opening. Or forward it to scan@virustotal.com
with the word "SCAN" in the subject. They'll analyze it using the most
popular anti-virus engines, then send you an email telling you whether
it's clean.
- Stop clicking!
All
right, that's not quite possible. But my point is that 99% of
everything bad comes from clicking on things. Click with care! Is
that link trustworthy? Be suspicious, even paranoid (a little).
- Run scans manually
The
anti-virus software you're using will periodically scan your entire
system. But because no anti-virus is perfect, you should manually run
a scan using a different anti-virus every month or so. My current
favorite "passive scanner" is the free version of MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware. (Passive
scanners aren't actively protecting you, as are "active" scanners.
They do nothing until you click on them. Everyone should have one and
only one active scanner, but at least two passive scanners. Multiple
active scanners would be bad -- they'd trip over each other. But
multiple passive scanners are fine -- they play dead until you need
them.)
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