Fake Downloads Could Break Your PC

Computers and the internet have made our life so much easier. However, not everything on the internet is good. There are plenty of bad things on the internet which could cause you many problems if you're not careful.

Downloads

The internet isn't just great for content, it's also a fantastic way to download all sorts of software and material for your computer. There are loads of different things which you can choose to download including lots of free software. The only trouble with this is that it might not be what it claims to be.

Viruses

One of the biggest threats whenever you download anything to your computer is a computer virus. Computer viruses are a major problem for a variety of reasons. Viruses are malicious programs designed to make your computer do something that it shouldn't actually do.

There are dozens of viruses out there floating in cyber space. All of these are a real nuisance and make your computer much less useful.

Spyware

Spyware is another type of malicious computer program. However, unlike a computer virus these sit silently on your computer. The purpose of spyware is to look at what you do and report back to the owner of the software.

This is very dangerous and leaves yourself open to identity theft. If you're not careful you could end up losing your credit card details, passwords and even your identity.

Trojans

Trojans are a very worrying type of computer virus. These allow other people access to your computer which makes it possible for hackers to access your private information and also spy on your every move.

Protecting Yourself From Viruses

To protect yourself from viruses you need to use your common sense. Never download anything that looks suspicious and never click any links that you don't trust. You should be very cautious whenever you are opening emails from people that you don't know very well because there is a pretty good chance that these also contain viruses.

You should also make sure that you stay legal. If you ever download any wares or full version applications illegally then these are almost always littered with viruses. Keep your downloading legal and from trusted sites, stay away from torrents and any other un-trusted sharing application like bearshare.

You need to install security software on your computer. If you don't already have an antivirus and firewall program on your computer then these should be high up on your priority list. These will prevent viruses and hackers from attacking your system and weakening it.

Downloading files from the internet may be very convenient, however it's also easy to accidentally infect your computer with a virus or other malware.

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