A computer virus is a program written to cause harm to a computer system and every computer user should install antivirus to protect your computer. Antivirus is software that aims to protect your computer from known viruses, trojans and worms. It helps to detect and remove any malicious software on a computer system.
How do viruses affect your computer?
- Slow startup
- Slow performance
- Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Crashes/Unexpected shutdown
- Unable to access disk drives
- Unusual Error Messages
Best practices
- Use legitimate antivirus software to protect your computer from malicious software.
- Once installed, make sure that your antivirus protection is enabled at all times, preferably running automatically after computer start-up.
- Make sure you are always up-to-date with the latest virus definitions. If it’s not up-to-date, the antivirus will not be as effective.
- Regularly scan your hard disk, files, email attachments and any removable media such as USB drives and CD-ROMs.
- Avoid visiting questionable websites.
- Never open emails from unknown sources. If you have any doubts about an email, it is better to delete it.
