Things you should know to protect your PC

I've not known a person, who uses the computer frequently and have not had their machine infected with some sort of worm or viruses. Long before the Internet was common to ordinary home users, I have had machines infected with annoying viruses. However it is through the age of Internet that everyone knows what a worm or spyware is. If you think about it, the net is actually an ideal medium for spreading malicious codes to unsuspecting victims. The Internet is like a hub, with millions of people, downloading things from e-mail to programs, to videos, and occasionally the additional "software".

To protect yourself, you must first know what you are protecting against.

Below are some tips you can follow to help protect your pc against viruses.

1) Antivirus software is not all
Using an AV software would exponentially decrease your chances of getting your pc infected. But, AV works by matching virus patterns from known database to the file. If the virus is not in the database, you are in risk. Updating your antivirus often will help protect yourself.

2) You can receive infected files from people you know
I have seen many cases of people getting their PC infected from anonymous mails which usually has a amazingly suspicious subject title. But there are also plenty of instance where I received e-mails from people I know who say they didn't send them.

3) P2P sharing
KaZaa, LimeWire, etc are ridden with virus and spyware. Use it, and be prepared for the consequences. If not, find safer alternatives.

4) Get confirmation on links
Sometimes you get links from your contacts through IM/e-mail. Do request a confirmation from the sender before entering them. There is a change the links could be infected, and the sender didn't really send them.

5) Legitimate sites can contain virus too
It's true that many people get infected by surfing crack, porn sites etc. However, perfectly legitimate and well-known sites can have vulnerabilities too.

6) Never plug an unknown device into your PC
It's not the first time I have to clean up an infected PC from plugging in a virus ridden USB thumbdrive. If you have to do it, make sure you scan it first before exploring the contents. This could save you a lot of trouble later on.

7) Your passwords might not be so safe after all
Most people have simple passwords so they can remember them later on. However this also means it would be easy for people to hack in. Been more than a few times I cracked accounts of people who have common and simple passwords. If you password is or a variation of the following, change it immediately: password, 123, qwerty, abc123, [yourname], [your birthday], [telephone no]. Also try to avoid dictionary words.

8) You may be infected and never know it
Not all malicious programs will notify you that they are residing somewhere on your harddisk. Some may prompt messages, restart your PC, or delete files. But there are also some that lays dormant, only runs during certain periods. Regularly scan your PC.

9) There is no way to make sure your PC is 100% virus-free
Wait, there is. Don't use it, turn it off, put it in a box somewhere and seal it. There.