Viruses – Have you been immunised?

Imagine being blocked from accessing the Internet.  Imagine your monitor screen filled with annoying pop-ups.  Imagine your private information being stolen. Now let’s stop imagining.  In reality, all of this can happen by malicious software called Viruses, Trojans or Malware.

You must be extremely careful of the sites you visit, the links you click and the files you download. You may like to think that you are safe using your favorite social networking sites such as Facebook.   However, you are not even safe there, because as we recently posted on our Facebook page,  there were a myriad of links claiming to have video to the Osama Bin Laden shootout.  These links however, according to the FBI warnings, were Malicious Software links used to Ensnare Unsuspecting Computer Users.

Malicious software can come from many sources such as Social Networking sites, Limewire and other Peer-to-Peer file sharing sites, Pornographic sites, gambling sites and Freebie sites (eg. coupons, shop online, make money fast, etc.)  Unsuspecting to you, these malicious software would be downloading in the background while you are using the site.

To protect yourself from malicious software, your best defense is to adopt safe browsing habits.  i.e. Avoid clicking, downloading from or visiting such sites.

There are also useful software tools that helps protect your computer.  Some of the most effective we have found are:

• Windows Firewall (included in your Windows Operating System [Check System Security in your Control Panel])
• AVG (There is a free version also)
• Spybot Search and Destroy
• K9 Web Filter
• Malwarebytes
• Web of Trust
• Adaware (There is a free version also)
• Norton Anti-Virus

In the unfortunate case in which you have been affected, you have to run virus removal tools to get rid of the malicious software.  Finding and getting rid of the software may take some hours or even some days, thereby disrupting your workflow.

So as the saying goes: Prevention is better than Cure! Ensure that your computer is protected.