The Danger: Computer viruses can cripple your computer and destroy your data.
The cause: There are an incredible variety of computer viruses on the Internet, with many different ways of infecting your system. The stereotypical vector for viruses is the email attachment, and this is still the most common source of infection for unwary users. Opening up a seemingly innocent attachment from a friend can have disastrous consequences. There are few computer users who have not experienced the effects of a computer virus at some point, and malicious coders keep churning them out.
The cure: Install and use a professional antivirus program.
Using an antivirus software package from a reputable manufacturer like Symantec or MacAfee provides an effective defense against viruses. You should scan your system for viruses once a week at least and use the software to examine any email attachments you are unsure about. Many packages, like Norton Antivirus, come with auto-protection features which will scan any files entering or leaving your system for viruses.
While this is fairly self-explanatory, a couple of extra tips: if you’re going to buy and install anti-virus software, do it now, before you get infected with a virus, rather than waiting until your system starts to act up. The reason for this is that many viruses have components that can disable or subvert popular antivirus programs like Norton’s and MacAfee’s software. So, if your system is infected before you install the antivirus software, it may not be able to help you.
Secondly, make sure you keep the program updated. Antivirus software manufacturers are constantly creating new sets of virus definitions to keep up with new threats. Without updated definitions, the software will not stop newer viruses from infecting your PC. Most reputable antivirus programs will update themselves automatically when you are connected to the Internet, but it doesn’t hurt to make sure you have the latest update before you scan for viruses.
Our Recommendations: We can install and monitor Webroot and/or Sentinel One.
We do not recommend the products mentioned above as they are designed for users with no technical support or knowledge. The have been known to prevent legitimate software from running and hide the fact that they are doing so. If I am called to troubleshoot an issue and I find one of them installed, my first step is to uninstall them since they won’t let you just disable for testing.