family life
BY CYBERTIPS.BM
Tips to Keep your
Family Computer
C
omputer viruses have been around
as long as personal computing
and mainstream software develop-
ment. Today, much of the malware we see
uses email, social media, or mobile apps
for transmission. Increasingly, viruses aim
to steal personal data and make money for
their creators.
Below are a few useful tips on how to keep your fam-
ily computer system safe against the current proliferation
of increasingly aggressive viruses and other malware.
INTERNET BROWSING
1. Be Careful What You Click - Make sure your browser
is configured to always ask before running files and
downloading automatically. If you have to confirm
everything, your system is much less likely to get
infected.
2. Pop-ups Can Be Dangerous - Check to ensure that
your browser is configured to block popups.
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Safe
3. Instead of clicking the warning, close the popup window
and open the antivirus program on your computer. You
most likely will not see any warnings. If you are still wor-
ried, run a scan using your installed software.
4. Clear your cache regularly – Pop-ups can store informa-
tion in your browser’s cache and can therefore reappear
constantly.
5. Consider a more secure browser - If you don’t want to
switch browsers, make sure that your current one is always
up-to-date and ready to help prevent unauthorized attacks.
DOWNLOADING FILES
6. Download from a Trusted Source - download the program
from the developer’s site as opposed to a download
service. Many of these services install their own download
managers and can infect your browser with adware.
7. Look at the File Extension - Mischievous files often have
fake extensions designed to trick you, such as “.txt.vb” or
“.jpg.exe”. Windows will often hide common file exten-
sions to make browsing through your files and programs