Cybercrime activity has increased so rapidly in the recent times that it has become almost impossible to keep track of all the viruses and malware. Spy bots are another problem and so are endless extensions, latch-on programs and malicious links that could make you lose money as well as your privacy. Here are a few simple but essential steps you could take to make things count.
Install the right protection
You must have an antivirus software on your computer. This should include two layers of protection. The first should be a full-fledged antivirus- like Avast, Bitdefender, Windows Defender, AVG, Malwarebytes etc. These software programs, even if you are using the free version, provide adequate protection for home users. You can also upgrade to a paid version to get added protection. This becomes the primary layer of protection. You should also download spy bot discovery tools that could quickly find if a program has spy bot attached to it and quarantine or destroy it completely.
Don’t click on links aimlessly
A lot of users are in a habit of clicking on links, without prudently checking if the links look good. Some antivirus software come with such functionality. However, when you receive links in emails, double check to see if anything seems wrong. If the fonts are off, the language seems out of place or if there is a repeated call to action with a huge promise, you must avoid clicking on a link. It could let a swarm of malicious trackers, bots, and viruses on your computer. Remember, emails are one of the easiest ways for hackers to get into your computer. The more prudent you are, the more secure you will remain.
Is your computer becoming slow?
It will be worthwhile to check if your computer has experienced a sudden drop in performance of your PC, especially after you have clicked a link or installed a new program, it could be because of malware. Therefore, in order to get rid of this problem, you must immediately remove the program and run a complete antivirus scan on your PC. Don’t use the system unless problems have been completely quarantined. Often, computers tend to slow down with time, given the amount of data they store and regular usage. However, sudden drops are usually a red flag.
These days, cryptocurrency mining has become quite common. Hackers usually get into your system and then use the leftover computing power to mine digital currencies. On normal usage, a PC would use barely 20 to 25% of CPU power. However, if a miner is running on the system, it will use more power, have one or more unidentified background processes running and will heat up very quickly. Your PC will also demand more power than usual. Excessive mining from your PC could lead to damage to the GPU and could also make you pay a huge electricity bill.
Taking care of these simple steps would help you in staying safe for long. Just make sure that you use prudence.
