• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • The Famous Blog
    • Blogging
    • Social Media
    • SEO
    • Marketing
    • Design

Famous Bloggers

How To Blog and Start a Business

  • Contribute
    • Submit News
  • Login

Home » The Famous Blog » 8 Reminders to Protect Your Computer from Viruses and Hackers

8 Reminders to Protect Your Computer from Viruses and Hackers

March 24, 2011 - Last Modified: February 14, 2013 by Wasim Ismail 5,963

Protect Your Computer

Viruses and hackers have been of a threat to us in the past, but these days the use of internet has become so convenient and common, we somewhat neglect and forget the importance of protecting our computers and files. It’s become normal to say, “oh it has a virus” and then just ignore the fact. Then consequently, we panic when it’s too late and we lose so much useful data.

We need to think of protecting our equipment at the early stages before it’s too late. Just recently, one of my designers lost 6 months of work, as they left their computer vulnerable to attacks. That’s six months of hard work and files gone in a flash.  Just a little negligence of this sort can cause so much damage, and even put our own identity into danger.

If we care about our personal information, our online reputation, and our files, then it is essential that we do routine protection of our computers. Below is a list of some very basic steps you can carry out to protect your computer and data:

  1. Install the Latest Anti-Virus. There are so many free reliable anti-viruses online. Google has one, which can be downloaded via Google Pack.  Some Anti-Virus companies offer free trial versions too, which is good enough to protect your computer. You may read some reviews and choose which is best for you.On the other hand, if you think that you need higher protections, its best to buy an Anti-Virus program . This will ensure that your computer is updated with the latest patches and releases that come out.
  2. Put Your Firewall On. Firewall blocks unauthorized access to your computer, it controls the way your computer talks to the internet, and monitors what goes in and out of the ports of your computer. It’s always advisable to keep your firewall on, as you never know when a virus might slip in through the back door.
  3. Be Careful With Your Emails and Avoid Suspicious Websites. Earlier, hackers could usually  gain access through email attachments, but now, a link via your email or a pop-up window can be directed to their viruses and worms. If an email seems suspicious, it is best not to open it or click on any links.  Always try to scan your email attachments and other downloaded files prior to opening them. Many anti-virus programs have this feature in them, where it will scan through your emails for you.
  4. Put Your Browser Security On. Blocking pop-ups is not enough. You have to set your browser either to the medium or high security level. This will help your browser block registered malicious websites or scripts.
  5. Always Backup Your Files. This is old advice. Although it’s already known, many of us are still too lazy to do so. Backup your files regularly. You can put this onto your calendar, and once a week or day it will pop up a reminder for you to backup. You can copy your files on to CDs and USB or other storage devices, along with online backup services.
  6. Before, it was not advisable to copy files online. If your files are not prone to information theft or if they are just images or some written files, you can backup your files using file backup sites like Dropbox.com or ftp hosting.
  7. Be Tricky and Smart in Assigning Passwords. As technology is rapidly advancing especially in communication and social networks, hackers are also having more avenues to steal your information and files. Be tricky with your passwords. Instead of “gelpen” you can make it “G31p3n”. Use a combination of numeric and alpha-numeric characters. You can also make it longer like “G31p3n2011” or “G31p3nG31p3n”. Moreover, Regarding security questions, be smart in assigning your answer. If your security question is “Who is your favorite pet?” Do not just answer “Bruno”; you can make it “Idonothavepetbruno”.
  8. Avoid Pirated Mediums and Downloads. Free or royalty free is so good, but it is indeed risky. Do not buy pirated CDs. Despite the fact that some software licenses are very expensive, it is the right thing to do and the safer option. Be careful in downloading unlicensed or leaked files. Also, Make sure that you are downloading from trusted websites. Many of the times you may download a program or an application which may be infected with virus.

protect your computerDo not be lazy in protecting your computer before it is too late. If your computer is acting weird, for instance, having many pop-ups, taking too slow in opening or shutting down or if you are losing files or some unknown files are being created, then maybe it means you are being attacked with viruses and worms. Take a few minutes or an hour to protect your computer. You are not only protecting your files but also protecting yourself from online theft.

ShareTweet

Filed Under: Hosting

About Wasim Ismail

Follow @wasimalrayes

Wasim’s a project manager at Alrayes Web Solutions along with an online SEO consultant & blogger for business at wasimismail.com, specialising in online business.

Reader Interactions

Related Posts

  • Effective Employee Monitoring5 Tips for Effective Employee Monitoring
  • Email VirusesPopular Programs Full Of Holes – Subject To Email Viruses?
  • Talk to ComputersHow We Talk to Computers [Infographic]
  • Computer CareBloggers Need to Care About Their Computer Too

{ 26 Responses }

  1. Sai Chu says:
    Wasim, if I may add. One of the cause of virus and malware is the download of attachments or setup files onto your computer. For a personal computer, this is hard to stop. But if you're a boss of a company, you should install software that will allow you to control files from being downloaded from the Internet. In other words, restrict your users from downloading specific file types (i.e. .zip, .msi .cab and etc.) will also prevent virus and malware attacks.
  2. Anu says:
    good information given by your article. Can you name some of the best anti_virus ?
  3. Joseph says:
    I have my firewall,anti-virus and scan on regularly updated to make sure my computer is free from viruses and hackers.
  4. Mark says:
    My wife's laptop recently got a bug from a friend whose email was hacked and spamming everyone in their address book. It was a stubborn virus that disabled your internet and acted like antivirus. Everything missed it. In this case all we could do was delete it's files from the registry...BIG PAIN. Lesson learned. Don't click on suspicious links in emails, even from people you know. Sometimes the best antivirus is common sense. Mark
  5. Denise Gabbard says:
    I wanted to add a precaution: when downloading a program, even from a trusted website, you need to be careful of the terms and agreements that you accept. I recently started using a new computer and had to download a zip program from cnet that I've used for a number of years with no problems. However, built into the terms and agreements is a checkbox that gives them permission to add a toolbar and also change your search engine... what a mess! It took hours for me to correct some of the issues, and I am actually still in safe mode at this point. Since then, I have downloaded a few good and legitimate antivirus programs and notice they have similar checkboxes and permissions. Just keep your eyes wide open when downloading anything!
    • Wasim Ismail says:
      Thanks for pointing this out, as it can be quite annoying when your settings all change. As sometimes we forget to read the small print, and download stuff online, i would say whatever you do online, just be extra careful.
  6. divas says:
    Great article! btw i would suggest to check your task manager to check if there is any malware running on your system.This way you can even find those malware/viruses which are not removed by anti virus softwares.
    • Wasim Ismail says:
      Thanks for the additional tip :)
  7. ashwin shahapurkar says:
    Nice post Mr.wasim , i must say it covers almost all security tips. But these days one shuld also take care of his PC from social networking exploits. WE can see Number of spammers are making facebook Spambook. and you never know when you'll be the target. SO always remember, Never try any suspicious links or Javascripts on Facebook.
    • Wasim Ismail says:
      True, thanks for adding more value, spammers are now also using social media platforms to spread virus, and hack and capture sensitive information, We should be careful on all activates we do online.
  8. Saket Jajodia says:
    Thanks a lot for those tips, I have a question that my mouse sometimes act weird way.. It goes in different direction, my net goes very slow and sometimes my PC also start getting hang.. I use Original Quick Heal Anti-Virus and free Comodo firewall (installed few days back).. Any suggestions?? Best Wishes, Saket Jajodia SJbn.Co
    • Wasim Ismail says:
      I would suggest to run a full scan on your computer, also delete any unwanted programs and applications that you don't use.
      • Saket Jajodia says:
        I have run full scan many times (even native boot scan).. And for unwanted apps I use Virtual Machine..
  9. Vijayraj Reddy says:
    yes, don't open or click unknown emails and links in them, your PC and passwords may be hacked...
  10. Mani Viswanathan says:
    With time I've learnt to download from safer torrent sites. Selecting torrents which are virus free is a task. Thanks for the other tips Wasim.
  11. Kavya Hari says:
    In fact, Fifth point would be more important because it will be help full for you in out look. Its excellent article, Wasim.
  12. Vernessa Taylor says:
    Hi Wasim, Great round-up of advice, especially for those who practically live on their computers. I used to do a lot more technical support and still get plenty of calls to save data seemingly lost to another round of virus or malware infection. Your advice on online backup is spot-on. These days, I also encourage family, friends, and clients to purchase an external backup drive (which they are most happy to do just after a mishap). Whenever I can convince the owner of a "saved" PC to allow me to do so, I also install a version of Linux so if they run into trouble again, at least they can continue working until their system can be restored. Thanks for sharing your excellent tips. :)
  13. James Johnston says:
    Thanks for sharing your tips. All great advice. Right out of college, I did IT consulting and one of the main things I fixed was spyware, adware, malware, and viruses. I spent hours fixing these kind of issues. Even though I no longer do this kind of work, I still do it for friends, family, and from-time-to-time I take on consultant project. Malware removal is one of my least favorite things about spyware. I can't stress how important it is to secure your computer. By following your tips they can easily do that. BTW good share on the Google Pack, they have a lot of good products that can help secure your computer.
    • wasim ismail says:
      True fixing these problems can be quite a pain, and take up allot of your time, hence taking precautions is always better, better to be safe than not. I dread it if my Computer was to go down, its not that it cant be fixed, its the time spent fixing it, which you could be productive doing something else.
      • James Johnston says:
        Keeping your system is even more important to bloggers and designers, since they spend most of their time on computers. If they have to spend time fixing their systems or going without a computer for a while this will make their work harder to do and be less productive.
  14. Sandeep says:
    nice post Wasim... I've done all what you mentioned except for putting the firewall on
    • wasim ismail says:
      I would recommend to keep your firewall on too. As it will block unwanted access to your computer.
      • Sandeep says:
        yup! thanks for your reply
  15. DiTesco says:
    Thanks for the reminder. Often times we only do something about protecting our PC when something bad happens. I know, I am totally guilty of that one :) BTW, did not know about Google Pack. I use MS Essentials (Microsoft's Free Anti-Virus) and it has been working fine up until now. Good to know that there are alternatives, just in case. Better safe than sorry, right?
    • wasim ismail says:
      Your right its better to be safe than sorry, Yes Google Pack has some cool features.
  16. Jitendra Singh says:
    Very helpful post Wasim. We usually follow some of the tips but not all, will follow all now onwards :)

Primary Sidebar

Our Newsletter

Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our blog.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Popular Articles

  1. Top 10 Sites Where You Can Get Paid to Write 115,648 views
  2. How to Get Targeted Twitter Followers Fast 92,036 views
  3. How to Set Half Rating Scale 1-5 (Poor to Excellent) by Words 86,649 views
  4. 66 Awesome Social Media Quotes 78,368 views
  5. 50 Traffic Sources You Should Milk Like Crazy 75,081 views
Schema Structured Data for wordPress
  • Blog
  • Contribute
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclosure Policy

Copyright ©2020 · FamousBloggers - All Rights Are Reserved · Powered by Genesis Framework

  • Login
Forgot Password?
Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.
Go to mobile version