If you want to protect yourself and your PC, then you need to recognize virus threats before they infect your computer. Today, we’re going to show you how to spot and prevent some of the most common sources of viruses on the internet.
Email viruses
Emails are one of the most common sources of PC virus infections. Most modern email services have a junk email filter which sorts out most potentially dangerous emails. However, these filters do not remove every single dangerous email, and even the most stringent email security filter will allow the occasional malicious email to pass through.
How do you defend your computer against threats like this? Well, always think twice about your incoming email messages. If you receive an unexpected email from someone you do not know, then your best bet is to ignore it, especially if the subject sounds a little fishy. Sometimes your friends or contacts’ computers can become infected, and the virus will automatically send out emails to all of their contacts. If the subject of the email looks a little strange, then it’s best to simply delete it.
Phishing scams
One of the most dangerous trends in email viruses is to receive an email that appears to be from your bank. That email will alert you to a problem with your bank account, and in order to solve that problem, you need to login to your account immediately. The email will helpfully provide a URL link for you to click on below this message.
Whatever you do, do not click on that link. In almost all cases, that link will take you to a phishing website that might look like your bank’s online portal, but it’s not. If you enter your information into that website, you should assume that your identity has been stolen, and you need to contact your (real) bank immediately.
Remember: a good bank will never ask for your sensitive information over email. If there is any sort of problem with your account, they will usually call you directly and tell you to login to your account without ever asking you to give out information over the phone. Always double check the URL before you enter information, as some of the more complex phishing schemes involve using domains like YourBank1234153.com, which at a quick glance may look like a legitimate website.
Downloads
Downloading items from the internet is one of the easiest ways to get a severe virus infection on your computer. Always be sure to only download files from sites that you trust. If you are ever browsing the internet and something starts to download automatically without any input on your end, you should cancel that download immediately and leave the site. While viruses like this are rare, they can lead to the complete lockdown of your computer.
Furthermore, if you are going to download content illegally through programs like Bit Torrent, be extremely careful as many of these websites are designed solely to lure you in. Even if the site itself appears to be fine, the torrent or download may be a virus rather than what you wanted. Look at what you are downloading or torrenting: does the size of the file seem appropriate? What are other users saying about it?  Is the file type correct? If you are unsure about your downloaded file, use an anti-virus program to scan the file before opening it.