One of our readers, Belinda J Darling from Australia sent me an e-mail with an article she wrote which I think is well worth publishing:
What is a computer virus? ways to protect yourself
So Belinda here is your nice and useful article:
We’ve all heard of computer viruses, but hands up who knows what a computer virus actually is? How do you get
them? And what can you do to protect yourself from computer viruses?
Avoiding computer viruses is not dissimilar to avoiding winter flu’s. By diligently attending to your health and nutrition requirements, you minimise your chances of getting the latest permutation of gastro doing the rounds. Likewise, by keeping your computers virus-scanning software up to date, you can avoid infecting your system with a bug that has the potential to create total chaos. It’s easier than getting a flu shot.
But, I hear you say, I don’t get shots because the winter lurgy has never really troubled me. And nor has a computer virus. Why should I bother with those irritating little ‘software updates are ready for your computer’ alerts? They just stand in the way of getting where I want to go online.
Computer viruses are insidious things. They can be used to steal your personal information, trick you into buying fake software- and your information can also be sold on the digital black market. Pretty scary stuff. Computer viruses are little programs designed to wreak havoc. They can delete, create, and move files. They can, in other words, bring you to your knees.
Keeping your software up to date is one of the most important components in protecting yourself against computer viruses, but it’s by no means the only one. Carefully screening your emails is a simple and easy way to avoid viruses. Sometimes, even those alert to suspicious looking messages can fall prey. This happened to me on Twitter recently when a trusted friend forwarded a link with the message ‘hey look at this, someone is saying really horrible things about you’ Rest assured that even if they are, it’s probably got nothing to do with that link. It’s just a hook to suck you in.
There are plenty of other simple ways experts such as SuperGeek can help teach you to avoid your computer being infected with a virus. By paying attention to your computers health, you’ll avoid many hours spent picking up the pieces after a computer crash.
Avoiding computer viruses is not dissimilar to avoiding winter flu’s. By diligently attending to your health and nutrition requirements, you minimise your chances of getting the latest permutation of gastro doing the rounds. Likewise, by keeping your computers virus-scanning software up to date, you can avoid infecting your system with a bug that has the potential to create total chaos. It’s easier than getting a flu shot.
But, I hear you say, I don’t get shots because the winter lurgy has never really troubled me. And nor has a computer virus. Why should I bother with those irritating little ‘software updates are ready for your computer’ alerts? They just stand in the way of getting where I want to go online.
Computer viruses are insidious things. They can be used to steal your personal information, trick you into buying fake software- and your information can also be sold on the digital black market. Pretty scary stuff. Computer viruses are little programs designed to wreak havoc. They can delete, create, and move files. They can, in other words, bring you to your knees.
Keeping your software up to date is one of the most important components in protecting yourself against computer viruses, but it’s by no means the only one. Carefully screening your emails is a simple and easy way to avoid viruses. Sometimes, even those alert to suspicious looking messages can fall prey. This happened to me on Twitter recently when a trusted friend forwarded a link with the message ‘hey look at this, someone is saying really horrible things about you’ Rest assured that even if they are, it’s probably got nothing to do with that link. It’s just a hook to suck you in.
There are plenty of other simple ways experts such as SuperGeek can help teach you to avoid your computer being infected with a virus. By paying attention to your computers health, you’ll avoid many hours spent picking up the pieces after a computer crash.
Thank you Belinda for your thoughts,
George Freire
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