In the last post I provided you with some actionable items in case your computer becomes infected with a virus. In this post I’ll advise you against some of the worst things you can do in the event your system becomes infected. If you get a virus DO NOT do the following:
1. Don’t E-mail attachments
Until you’ve identified and completely eradicated the virus, don’t send any e-mail attachments, whether pictures, documents, mp3s, or video, to anyone. This is the electronic equivalent of sneezing into your hand and immediately shaking someone else’s when you have the flu. First run a virus scan, then do it again, and once the report comes back clean then you can email that funny video to your friend.
2. Don’t plug in any external drives or copy files
A lot of viruses are sophisticated enough to automatically copy themselves to an external hard drive or even a USB stick once one is connected to the system. The virus then piggybacks on the device from one computer to the next. Viruses can also replicate themselves into files that you copy, and back up. This means that if your computer gets infected and you haven’t backed up your files regularly, it may already be too late. A little preventative effort is all it takes, so if you don’t have a virus, please back up your computer regularly.
3. Don’t shop online or enter credit card or banking information
The most common goal of viruses and malware is to steal credit card and bank information to enable your attacker to commit fraud and identity theft. Most viruses do this by capturing keystrokes or screen shots and then sending this data to the malware’s creator. The cost of removing a virus from your computer is marginal compared to the cost of recovering from identity theft. If there’s even the slightest possibility of a virus, hold off on entering credit card information until you’re sure the coast is clear.
4. Don’t log in to any personal accounts
Don’t log in to your email or any of your social media accounts. Just like credit card numbers, passwords and login information is just as susceptible to being captured by a virus. A good rule of thumb is to avoid any site or account that might contain personal or potentially sensitive data.
70% of internet users have experienced some kind of virus or malware problem. While the odds are good that you will at some point contract a virus, make sure to follow the tips offered in this post and the last to stop the problem and correct it, rather than making it worse.
January 27, 2012 at 5:01 pm |
nice article. Some really good and useful points are made about dealing with computer viruses. Thank you