11 Simple Tips to Protect Your Computer from Viruses and Malware in 2020 | Methods to Protect Computer from Viruses

11 Simple Tips to Protect Your Computer from Viruses and Malware in 2020

A computer virus is an illegal, self-replicating destructive program that disturbs the normal functioning of the computer in many ways.

Computer viruses are those programs that are capable of reproducing themselves and capable of spreading from one computer to others through different media. Today, there are thousands of computer viruses and the number of computer viruses is increasing daily. These viruses show different symptoms on the computer.

Computer Virus

Viruses' main mission is to spread out and then get active. Some viruses just spread out and never activate. Viruses when spread out, make copies of self. Computer viruses spread from one computer to others through E-mail, the Internet, a USB drive (pen drive), floppy disks, CD/DVD and other storage devices. Computer viruses cause great harm to our computer system. Viruses irritate us while using a computer by showing unexpected behavior in the computer, Annually, millions of dollars are lost throughout the world due to the viruses. So, it is necessary to protect our computers from viruses. As there is saying "prevention is better than cure" so we should follow the safety measures in order to protect our computer from viruses.

The following are the common preventive measures from computer viruses.

1. Keep your software(Operating System such as Mac, Windows, and Linux)up to date to fix bugs that could potentially be exploited by hackers.
2. Not to open any E-mail(G-mail) attachment files before scanning it and don't click on links within emails if you don't recognize the sender of that email.
3. Install free(No need to pay for an annual subscription) Anti-virus software from a well-known reputable company (such as Kaspersky Lab and Avast or built-in Windows Defender will do the job perfectly for Windows) and scan computers regularly for viruses.
4. Update antivirus software regularly through the Internet in order to get the latest virus definition because new viruses are developing day by day.
5. Keep backup of data and programs on a regular basis to prevent data loss.
6. Always lock the computer using a strong password and avoid using the same password for everything instead, use a free service like LastPass to create and manage your passwords.
7. Make sure if you have enabled a built-in firewall to maximize your online protection.
8. Make sure your Web browser’s(Google Chrome) security settings are high enough to detect unauthorized downloads and have the ability to stop pop-up windows which allow you to set the security for accepting pop-ups.
9. Not to download any programs from the unknown website of the Internet unless you are confirmed that they are virus-free.
10. Not to use any pirated software because there is the most probability of viruses with pirated software CD's
11. Scan the portable disks (such as pen drive, external hard disk) to remove viruses before using it.

Follow these above-mentioned measures strictly if you want your computer to be viruses and malware-free. HELPFUL???!!! Leave your thoughts in the comment box.

Thank You!