Dealing with Digital Disease

Dealing with Digital Disease

By Cody Moya


A virus is a program that replicates itself. It cannot exist on its own
so it attaches to another program, usually an executable one. A worm is
like a virus—it also replicates itself. However, it can stand on its
own and does not need another program to run. It usually infects your
computer’s networking features, which includes its internet connection.

Spyware and adware go hand-in-hand. Spyware is a kind of program which
gathers information, specifically browsing habits. It tracks down what
kind of sites you visit, and the adware will generate ads that fit with
your interest which the spyware based on information it gathered in the
first place.

Malware is malicious software. It’s any program that is useless, or
worse, destructive. A Trojan a program pretending to be good but once it’s
deep in your system it proves to be quite the opposite.

In spite of all their differences, they have one thing in common: they
are out to give you headaches by rendering your computer unusable.

To protect your computer as much as possible from being infected, here
are four dangerous activities that you should avoid, or at least
minimize:

• Opening email attachments

Do not open any email attachments if they aren’t scanned by antivirus
software. Worms can spread through email, so even a friend can
unwittingly send you one by way of an attachment.

• Internet File-sharing

In file-sharing via the internet, your computer is exposed and open to
others it is communicating with. If other computers’ files can be
transferred to yours, the same thing can be said about a virus, if the
others are infected.

• Downloading free software of questionable origins

Free software is free for a reason. If you bothered to read the End
User License Agreement (EULA) of a software you are installing—which you
probably didn’t—you most likely will come upon a short and tiny clause
saying that if you agree to the terms, you are allowing advertisements
to pop up on your screen, or other software to be installed in your
system. So be careful with what you download. Read product reviews and find
out if other people got headaches from using it.

• Visiting ad-heavy sites
If you visit a site and you’re immediately bombarded with pop-up ads,
leave immediately. You might click on an ad that activates an automatic
download of malicious software to your computer.

Here is a list of activities which you should be doing instead:

• Invest in good antivirus software. Going online without the
protection of antivirus software is like going out naked in the snow. That’s
just how vulnerable an unprotected computer is.

• Most antivirus software packages include an internet security program
(also known as firewall). A firewall acts as a barricade between you
and unwanted content from the internet. When buying antivirus software,
it’s better to shell out for the internet security as well.

• Once antivirus software is installed in your computer, keep it
updated always so it can recognize and remove newly released viruses.

• Whatever browser you are using, check that its security settings are
all in default unless you really know what you are doing.

• Periodically delete files that you no longer use.

• Download spyware- and adware-removal tools and run them at least once
a week. Be warned that many of these removal programs are a scam, so
make sure that what you download is reliable. You can easily search for
product reviews to check if the program is legitimate or otherwise.

• Back up all your important files all the time.

• If possible, have two computers at home. One will be used to connect
to the internet, and the other should not be connected at all. The
second computer will act as storage of all your important files so that
even if the first one crashes, your life won’t be in ruins.

Don’t be dependent on removal tools and antivirus software packages,
though. A bit of prevention is always worth a megabyte of cure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Cody Moya writes about Business and Marketing in his
weekly Business and Marketing Tips Ezine. You can sign
up for his free Ezine and get additional information
at his website: http://bmtezine.com/