Six Steps to Take to Avoid Malware Infections
A malware infection can be devastating. Whether it happens to your personal devices or to your business systems, malware can cause serious damage. You need to make sure you regularly backup your data in case malware does hit you. But you can also take several steps to avoid malware infections in the first place.
Step One: Install Antivirus Software
It may be obvious, but in order to avoid malware infections, installing antivirus software is a must. The software is designed to identify and remove malware and viruses, so your device is protected against dangers like worms, trojans, spyware, and ransomware. Different antivirus software has different features, so you should spend some time comparing various software options to find the right one for you. Check out this article to choose the best antivirus software. The best always stays ahead of the latest threats, continually locates and updates new risks, and roots out not only viruses but also rootkits and other advanced types of malware.
Step Two: Regularly Update Your Software
Your antivirus software may automatically update itself. But seeing as software vendors regularly provide new updates and patches against new vulnerabilities, it is vital you make sure that your antivirus software is regularly updated. You should also regularly update your operating systems, browsers, plug-ins, and software tools to make certain all of your software is current and there are no signs of malware.
Step Three: Use Secure Authentication Techniques
Even with antivirus software in place, it is important you take other steps to ensure your device is protected against malware attacks. So, make use of authentication methods. There are several best practices you can utilize to keep your data safe. For your accounts, make sure you use strong passwords that contain at least eight letters, a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, and at least one number. Of course, ensure each password for each account is different. Other steps you can take are enabling multi-factor authentication like security questions or a PIN to your password or using biometric tools like voiceprints, facial recognition, fingerprints, and iris scans.
Step Four: Control Access to Your Systems
There are several ways to regulate your networks in order to protect against data breaches. You can install a firewall, intrusion detection system, and intrusion prevention system. You can also remove inactive user accounts, close unused ports, and disable unused protocols. Also, never use unfamiliar remote drivers or media that have been used on a device that was publicly accessible.
Step Five: Implement Email Security and Use Spam Protection
Email is one of the most common channels for malware. To reduce the risk of infection, you can scan all of your incoming messages for malware. Make sure you scan all attachments as well. You can also set spam filters to reduce the number of unwanted emails and therefore reduce the number of potential malware emails you receive.
Step Six: Continually Educate Yourself
New forms of malware attacks are appearing all the time, so you need to keep abreast of the different types of threats and the best ways to avoid infections by continually educating yourself. The more knowledgeable and savvier you are, the more you will be able to reduce the risk of things like phishing attacks. So, learn how to recognize credible sites, know what to do if you identify a suspicious site, learn what the best VPNs and secure networks are, always keep up-to-date on cybersecurity trends and best practices, and follow the above steps to avoid malware infections.
