It’s every computer user’s worst nightmare: you wake up one day and realize you have a virus and you don’t really know how to get rid of it. Most people these days understand what a virus is and how harmful it can be, but they are still not sure how computer viruses spread. The truth is, there are dozens of different ways a virus can spread from one computer to another, but let’s take a look at the most common ways people come across viruses, spyware, and Trojans on the Internet.
1. Email attachments. The world became familiar with the phenomenon of virus-containing email attachments thanks to Microsoft’s Outlook Express automatically opening all attachments in every email you received a few years ago. Now that email clients no longer do this, the infection rate from email attachments is significantly lower, but it can still be a common problem. The rule of thumb is if you don’t know what an attachment is, don’t open it. To this day, many email users never open the attachments, no matter what. However, you don’t have to take such drastic measures to protect yourself; just use common sense when opening email attachments.
two. Fake websites. It’s depressing to know that you can get spyware or a virus just by visiting a website, but it’s true. Many adult websites, gambling websites, and other less trustworthy websites will automatically attempt to access your computer when you visit them. They often install adware bugs that will cause a burst of pop-ups to appear on your screen. This adware will often allow other programs for even more nefarious purposes to install, and before you know it, your computer will be flooded. To stop these malicious websites, adjust your antivirus software and firewall settings so that external connections cannot be made and programs cannot be installed without your express permission.
3. networks. If your computer is connected to a home network or if your work computer is part of a larger network, you may be running into an infection through no fault of your own. Someone else on the network accidentally downloaded a bug, and within minutes, the entire network could be infected. There isn’t much you can do to stop these types of infections, short of having your network administrator make sure everyone’s antivirus software is up to date so that the invasive bug can be removed as quickly as possible.
Four. Infected boot disks. Now that hard drives are obscenely large, the vast majority of us don’t bother using bootable disks anymore, but you can still spread a virus if there’s an infected disk on your hard drive and you try to reboot it. When you turn on your computer, your machine will always check your drives to see if there is a disk with bootable information. If so, your computer is probably trying to automatically boot from the disk and not from your drive. If a virus is present, it will often activate and you will become infected. Always know the origin of any disc you put in your drive.
5. Phishing schemes. Learning how computer viruses spread is important to keeping you and your personal information safe online. Phishing schemes are one of the main ways people end up with their stolen identity and a computer full of viruses. A phishing scheme begins when you receive an email from a website claiming to be your bank or credit card company. You’re asked to click a link and log in, but the truth is, you’ve just given away all your personal information. Often when you visit these sites, spyware, adware, and viruses are automatically installed on your computer (see Unauthorized Web Sites, above). Your lender or credit card will often send an actual notice letting you know that a phishing scheme is taking place. The smart thing to do is simply call your bank or credit card company if you get an email saying there’s a problem with your account instead of blindly following the links in your email.
6. Infected software. One of the best things about the internet is the number of free games and programs out there, but these free programs often come at a price. Too many fake websites intentionally infect their free software (such as Kazaa) with Trojan viruses so that you unknowingly infect your computer every time you download a free game or piece of software. The key here is to only download freeware or shareware from a trusted source like CNet that always guarantees your safety.
7. hackers The Internet is a much more law-abiding place today than it was ten years ago. Not only did most people have no antivirus protection or firewalls that could stop incoming attacks, most people didn’t even know what they were. Today, people understand the value of good online protection, but hackers can still be a problem if you allow your protection software to expire. The best way to beat hackers is to make sure you have up-to-date firewall and antivirus software.
8. Instant messaging. It’s hard to find a computer these days that doesn’t have at least one instant messaging service installed. Unfortunately, these programs are often targeted by hackers who see an easy way to trick people into clicking links that take them to unauthorized websites. However, common sense can keep you out of trouble. Chat only with people you know and never follow links to sites you don’t recognize. You should be able to easily keep worms, viruses, and other internet bugs at bay.
9. Fake antivirus software. This is one of the most frustrating ways to become infected with a virus or worm. There are dozens of antivirus and antispyware programs you can download for free on the Internet, and a surprising number of them actually do the exact opposite of what they claim. Product websites make outrageous claims that their product can protect you from a wide range of threats, when, in reality, their product will only make things a thousand times worse. Only download antivirus software from trusted sites or from websites you know to be completely legitimate.
10 From Mobile Devices. A recent story in the newspaper should serve as a wake-up call for anyone preparing to connect a mobile device to their computer for the first time. A family bought a digital photo frame at a local store and when they tried to install the software that came with it, they inadvertently infected their computer with a virus. There’s really no way to prevent such an infection from happening, as we all buy peripherals that work with our computer, but we can make sure we have the tools ready to go if an infection does occur. Keep your antivirus software up to date at all times and you should be able to regain control of any internet errors.
eleven Friends and relatives. We often receive viruses through our email from people we know and trust. The social networking site Facebook has had to battle this very problem when its services have a bug and automatically send emails to everyone on the system who is infected. Often these emails sound extremely generic and come with suspicious attachments, but people often open them anyway because they come from a friend or from a site they trust, like Facebook. Remember, if you receive an attachment with an .exe or .dll extension, never open it.
Learning how computer viruses spread is the best way to end their reign of terror online. Only with the right knowledge and the best virus protection software, internet users around the world can beat online errors forever.
