How to Avoid a Computer Virus While You’re Avoiding the Coronavirus

 
 

Wash your hands.

Keep your distance.

Avoid large public gatherings.

The coronavirus pandemic has all of us revisiting basic personal hygiene practices to keep from getting sick.

Unfortunately, criminal hackers are finding this to be a perfect season for increasing their attacks on our computers. More people are working from home—which means more computers are available to criminal hackers on less secure networks.

With that in mind, here are five things you can do to keep your computer healthy during the coronavirus outbreak. BONUS: these same tips will work on the other side of the outbreak, too.

1. Update your computer’s security patches

Windows update screen

Your first line of defense against hackers is an up-to-date computer.

Microsoft and Apple regularly update their operating systems with security patches as new vulnerabilities come to light. Whether you’re on Windows or macOS, install those updates when you’re prompted.

2. Don’t click on things you shouldn’t

Computer with virus

This is always true whether you’re in a self-imposed quarantine or everything in the world is rainbows and unicorns.

Just to be clear:

This will keep you safe most of the time.

But opening messages from trusted friends or colleagues can cause problems sometimes, too. 

A buddy of mine who works in the construction industry often swaps Excel spreadsheets with his clients. The spreadsheets contain measurements and quotes relevant to their building projects.

A few years ago, one of his clients sent a spreadsheet that my buddy opened, as he’d done countless times before. In this instance, however, his client’s computer had been hacked and the attached spreadsheet was contaminated with ransomware. In the end, my friend’s computer had to be restored with an old backup and he lost a lot of data and time in the process—in his words, a “miserable, unfulfilling experience.”

3. Protect your computer with antivirus software

Bitdefender antivirus window

Windows get viruses, Macs don’t.

Right?

Wrong.

The growing popularity of Apple devices has made them a more desirable target for criminal hackers. It doesn’t matter if you’re on Windows or macOS—you’ll want to secure your computer with some kind of antivirus protection. 

Windows Security ships with Windows and this may be enough. If you don’t like the way Windows handles its own security, you have multiple alternatives.

4. Use a VPN on public wifi

Use a VPN to protect your data

If you’re working or studying from home now, you’ll need an internet connection.

What if you don’t have one?

You could visit the local coffee shop and grab WiFi there. But we’re supposed to be practicing social distancing, so that may not be a great idea.

As an alternative, Comcast is generously making its Xfinity WiFi service available for free to everyone for the next two months.

If you use one of these free public wifi options, though, be aware that you’re putting your computer—and your sensitive data—at risk.

According to Justin Dolly, CIO of the antivirus firm Malwarebytes, “…anything you do on a public WiFi network is NOT secure. Any information you share or access on these networks is as good as gone.”

What can you do?

A virtual private network (VPN) creates a secure connection between your computer and the Internet. A VPN encrypts any data you send over the network, protecting it from hackers. This is especially important if you plan to check email or send sensitive personal information (credit card numbers, social security numbers, anything financially or medically related) over public wifi.

You can find both free and affordable paid VPN services to give you an extra measure of security—and peace of mind—when you use public networks.

5. Make regular backups

Apple’s Time Machine app

If you do get hacked or if your computer’s internal drive fails, keeping a backup can save the day.

For Mac users, Apple’s Time Machine feature backs up your computer’s data every hour. It automatically runs in the background so you never have to worry about it doing its job.

Making a clone of your internal drive also helps ensure you don’t lose anything. Carbon Copy Cloner  (macOS) is a time-tested utility you can use to clone your internal drive, copy files across computers, and a host of other backup functions.

Windows 10 includes File History, which works like Time Machine. Some reviewers, though, find it clunky. You may find a third-party tool to be a better choice.

Online backup services offer yet another alternative. Instead of saving your data on an external hard drive (which is still at risk if you keep it in the same location as your computer), your data gets uploaded to a cloud service. Should anything happen to your computer, you can restore the data stored online.

My recommendations

Here are the tools I use to keep my data safe:

Have you ever lost data from a hack or had your computer infected with malware? How are you keeping your system safe? Share your story below.

Michael GowinComment