New Malware Daily: How to Protect Your PC
According to recent research for antivirus companies, there are hundreds of thousands of new types of malware being discovered on a daily basis. Although protecting yourself is not one hundred percent foolproof, there are a lot of ways that you can keep up with new malware infections.
Because technology changes so quickly, it is important to understand that along with all of the changes in technology comes new malware that is created by cybercriminals to circumvent new innovations in technology. This is mainly due to the fact that our security systems change with the development of new technologies.
In a nutshell, the way cybercriminals circumvent new technology and security systems is through written computer language or via a malcode generator. Once the cybercriminal has generated the code to create the malware, they test it out to determine how much damage they can do without anyone noticing. The longer they can go without the malware being detected so protection can be created, the more widely used the code will be.
How to Protect Your PC
Due to the increase in cybercriminal activity, antivirus programs have been forced to come up the ranks and now contain more protection than ever against new malicious software that is created everyday.
Here are a few features your antivirus program should have:
- Spyware Detection: Antispyware detection that identifies and removes spyware in real-time.
- Automatic Updates: A good antivirus program will provide automatic updates for new viruses.
- Firewall: The firewall feature places added protection between your computer and the Internet.
- Automatic Scanning: The antivirus program should perform an automatic scan to your files, email, hard drive, and archives at regularly scheduled intervals. It should also provide a way to quarantine any viruses, Trojans, or worms it has detected.
- Pop-Up Blocker: A pop-up blocker is important for blocking any pop-ups that contain adware and spyware. Sometimes your PC can get infected by spyware simply through attempts to get rid of an annoying pop-up that has appeared.
- Anti-Phishing: Phishing involves obtaining your personal information through trickery, by hijacking you to a site you think is one that you usually use and then requesting your personal information. The anti-phishing feature on your antivirus program will help you identify these fraudulent sites.
- Data Backup: Antivirus programs should assist with backing up your data registry in the event a file gets deleted from the registry or that you need to clean your registry in the event of a virus attack.
- Parental Controls: If you have children in your household it is a good idea to install an antivirus program with parental controls. This way you can help to prevent your children from visiting websites that may be infected with malware.
Before you choose an antivirus program be sure to take inventory of all of the purposes for which you use your PC and then choose an antivirus program that provides the appropriate protection.
Stay Educated
Stay informed on the latest viruses that are created and techniques that cybercriminals use on the Internet. This will help you to watch for any suspicious activity while surfing the Internet.
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