How to protect your computer from viruses & malware?

 

  Protect Your Device Against viruses!

What is a computer virus?

- It is vital to keep your internet security software up to date in order to provide the most complete protection. Thousands of new viruses are detected every day, to say nothing of the variants of new and existing ones. Each has a set of characteristics or ‘signatures’ that enable internet security software manufacturers to detect them and produce suitable updates.

A computer virus is a type of malicious software, or malware, that infects computers and corrupts their data and software. They are always the result of human activity. Because they are designed to replicate themselves by infecting other programs on a computer, they are termed "viruses".

- Computer viruses are designed to cause system disruption, significant operational issues, and data loss and leakage. They typically attach to an executable host file, resulting in the execution of their viral code when a file is opened. The code then spreads via networks, drives, file-sharing programs, or infected email attachments from the document or software to which it is attached. The way a computer virus performs is determined by the way it is coded. It could be as simple as a harmless prank, or it could be sophisticated, resulting in criminal activity and fraud.

 - While some viruses are limited to a single device, others spread across a network environment in search of other vulnerable hosts.

What is Spyware?

- Spyware is software installed on a computer system that is designed to collect information about the computer user often without their consent or knowledge. This information may result in so-called identity theft, or theft of valuable information (such as bank or credit card details) or proprietary business data.  These days, much of the current spyware is developed by organized crime rings, rather than opportunistic lone individuals and is installed by a virus or another form of malware

What are Rootkits?

- A rootkit is a type of malware designed to gain privileged access to a computer while hiding itself from the user and the operating system by, for example, compromising the communication channels within the OS. A rootkit can hide files, data, processes, and network ports, and can typically survive a system restart. This stealthy design enables the rootkit to escape detection by most anti-malware tools, which may be effective in detecting/removing malware-like viruses but are generally ineffective against rootkits.

How to Prevent virus infection ?

- Be extremely cautious when opening email attachments. It is best to avoid opening any attachments received from an unknown source. If you need to do so, you should first save the attachment to a folder on your computer, then open the appropriate application (such as Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat) yourself. If you use the program File menu to open the attachment manually, rather than double-clicking the file or allowing your email program to open it automatically, you are less likely to contract a virus.

How to protect your computer from viruses using Avast antivirus?

- avast! antivirus is a collection of award-winning, high-end technologies that work in perfect synergy, having one common goal: to protect your system and valuable data against computer viruses. 

It represents a best-in-class solution for any Windows-based workstation.  avast! antivirus incorporates anti-spyware technology, certified by West Coast Lab’s Checkmark process, as well as anti-rootkit and strong self-protection capabilities to ensure that your valuable data and programs are always protected.  

The  Key features of Avast antivirus

• Anti-spam

• Data Shredder

• Intelligent antivirus

• Home Network Security

• SafeZone Browser

• CyberCapture

• Smart Scan

• Secure DNS

• Sandbox

• Firewall

• Passwords

• Browser Cleanup

• Automatic Software Updater

Learn more about AVAST antivirus

- Avast business and Avast-One

- What is the difference between Free & paid avast 

- How can Avast antivirus protect my data 

- How to install Avast antivirus on windows?

- What are the system requirements for Avast antivirus?

- Basics of using Avast! antivirus