How To Prevent Malware Infection?

When browsing the Internet, accessing social networks, emails or filling out an online form, there are a number of drawbacks that many users often encounter. Many problems that can cause the infection of a computer, smartphone or information leakage are reported daily and the number of users who see their information compromised is considerable. That is why today, we are going to review 10 tips to avoid infection of a system or device.

1. Use a secure connection

It seems simple, but many users tend to overlook the fact that when logging into a website the connection is through HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). When accessing a web page using this protocol, the communication between the client and the server travels encrypted, which increases security and minimizes the possibility of password theft. When accessing these types of sites, you can see the difference between accessing using HTTPS or without security over HTTP. It is possible to configure a secure connection in social networks, so that all communication with the site is encrypted.

2. Use a security solution

The use of an antivirus software with proactive detection capacity allows the computer to be protected in real time against the infection of malicious code, detecting its presence before it infects the computer and may compromise the security of the information hosted on it. In addition, there are also tools such as firewalls and antispam to increase computer protection.

3. Avoid misleading links

When emails of dubious origin are received, such as from a contact who speaks in Spanish, we receive an email in Portuguese, an alleged email from a bank to update the information, email chains about changing a free email service to payment or a billionaire who wants to give away his money. On more than one occasion we have shared with you the analyzes and investigations where the attackers hide the real link within a YouTube link or another similar strategy.

4. Analyze attachments

When sending and receiving emails, the user must take certain considerations to avoid infecting their computer or device through the attachments in the emails, since repeatedly, for a matter of time, they do not analyze the attachments in the emails with a antivirus solution and in this way the security of your information could be exposed.

5. Scan removable devices

External storage media, where USB devices are included, are one of the malicious code propagation channels. By plugging memory into an unknown computer, users often infect their devices with malicious code, then use it to transport work information. In this way an employee who does not analyze your USB device could infect the entire company network.

6. Configure privacy policies on social networks

When using social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, users tend to set privacy parameters aside and share not only their information, but also share their contact details with anyone who accesses their profile. The configuration of privacy policies is one of the barriers to implement to prevent an attacker from collecting user information.

7. Use strong passwords

When creating an account on a website, you should always use passwords that are a combination of numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and if possible use special characters. In this way, the possibility of an attacker discovering the password is minimal. Studies have shown that users often do not use strong passwords to access their accounts on the Internet, which presents a gateway for attackers.

8. Update programs and operating system

Both the different operating systems (Windows, Mac OS , or the different GNU Linux distributions) and the applications that can be installed on them (web browsers, office applications, video players, design programs, etc.), have updates that solve various problems that could lead to computer infection. When a user does not install these updates, they leave their system vulnerable to a possible infection with malicious code that turns their computer into part of a network of zombie computers, known as a botnet.

9. Find information safely

When trying to access information through search engines such as Google, Bing or Yahoo!, the user could be a victim of Black Hat SEO and linked to a bogus page from where they could download a fake security solution or other malicious code. These methodologies for spreading malware use events of worldwide repercussion to attract the attention of users when trying to get the latest news.

10. Take care of the information in public places

With the massive use of smartphones, notebooks and tablets, users usually connect to whatever network they find available, without taking into account the risks that this may imply for their information. When a user decides to connect to a wireless network, from a cafeteria or others, they must pay attention to its security and it is recommended not to access sites such as electronic banking, since an attacker could be analyzing the network traffic and stealing your information.