PC security is mainly about protecting yourself from the dangers of the internet. If a PC isn’t connected to the internet, the only dangers you have to worry about is who has access to the room your computer is stored in. In those cases, a good old fashioned lock and key normally does the trick. But that ideology is virtually (if you’ll pardon the pun) outdated, the overwhelming majority of computers, including smartphones, are connected to the internet, so it’s extremely important to take precautions whilst browsing the web.
Malware is the only reason antivirus products exist, and since antivirus solutions are so popular, it’s no surprise to hear that malware is too. According to AV-TEST, today there are well over half a billion examples of malware being circulated on the internet, with almost 400,000 new examples being found each day. Whilst the trend for new malware is slowing down (it was increasing exponentially year on year during the late 00’s), the importance of being vigilant whilst browsing so to avoid downloading malware is still of extreme proportions. After all, the best antivirus in the world is a set of smart decisions, knowing what to avoid and when.
Viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, rootkits… are all spread via the internet. Their creation banks on this fact. The internet is the perfect place to spread malware because of it’s inherent interconnectedness; the purpose of the internet is literally to connect people. Unfortunately this also means it is an extremely efficient engine for spreading malicious software as much as it is a good way to spread positive and helpful software. Along with an interconnected network of people comes those who want to steal your money, there is no way to disconnect the two!
Here’s some precautions you should take to avoid downloading one of the half a billion bits of malware floating about on the internet:
Another great tip is to install an ad blocking browser extension. The best one we have tested is ‘AdBlocker Plus’, available on all major browsers and proficiently stops code that displays ads from executing. Ad space on questionably legal sites like pornographic sites and streaming sites are bought up by criminals wanting to spread their malware, by using an ad blocking browser extension you can wipe out this extremely common source of malware downloads.