This is another installment in the IT best practices sermons I've been writing lately.
Virus activity is a big thing that I've seen happen to lots of people lately. People don't realize what a virus looks like or how they get it.
How do I get a Virus?
The first way to get a virus is by visiting a website that may be infected. If you visit a website and you get something that pops up and says you are infected, it most likely is a virus. Recently, viruses have been appearing in the form of pop up windows that are meant to look like a message from your antivurs software. The pop up messages might indicate that your computer is infected asking you to click on something. Many people think that the fake message is legitimate and click on it. By clicking on the pop up message the computer is then infected.
If you see a pop up that says "You are infected, click here to scan" or something similar, do not click on it and close the window immediately. The best rule of thumb is: Do not click on anything that you don't trust. Pop up windows and email attachments from sources you don't recognize can be very dangerous.
You should be familiar with what antivirus software you have installed on your computer. If you see a window or pop up message from something other than your antivirus software stating you have a virus, close the message by clicking the X in the upper right corner. Do not click anywhere on the message.
The second way to get a virus is by opening an email attachment. If you get an email from someone with an attachment, especially if it is someone you don't know, you should not open it. Especially, if the attachment is an .exe or .bat file. If you get an attachment that you need to open, save it to your computer and scan it before you open it.
How can I protect my computer? Read more »
