Any device that is connected to the internet can be vulnerable to viruses.
There are some terribly destructive viruses out there, as well as malware that can make your life hell for years, if passwords are stolen and bank accounts hacked.
There are, however, some simple steps you can take to prevent being infected with malware or a virus, which can often prevent the damage from being catastrophic.
Hackr-Bomb
Today the Viruses of the 20th century have evolved into Hackr-Bombs which are far more destructive than old days viruses.
What happens is that the Hackers find an entry point on any number of your connected devices which gives them access to your Router.
Router access gives them full access to every device you own which is the worst case that can happen.
The Hackers goals are varied. Sometimes they are trying to gain enough Personal information to steal your Identity.
Worse than this is when the hackers want to clandestinely change, remove, or add files or file data.
This is a massive issue because files they alter are not immediately obvious, and recovering your true data becomes that much more difficult.
Most people store their most important data in a Cloud Storage Facility, and the Hackers will be changing that data.
Because the Cloud Facility cannot tell the difference between you changing files and the hacker changing files.
This means the data is changed without any alarm bells going off.
Hostage Malware
Hostage Ware is 100% coming out of far distant countries.
Their goal is to take control of your computer and lock you out enough that they can extort money from you for the return of your data and computer.
This may seem like a remote possibility but it is very common.
One reason for this is that they regularly get tens of thousands of dollars from small to medium companies with this.
Create Safer Wifi with Children
Having children and especially Teenagers can be a challenge to Wifi Safety.
Teens are far more likely to log into or click something that may not be safe.
Even if they don’t do this at home they can do it at school or friends.
Once a device like your teenagers phone is infected you are in danger when it is hooked to the same WIFI as your devices.
Once they are on Your side of the Router it is ‘IN’ and can wreak Havoc.
How to Deal with this ?
Add a second Router off your main Router that is setup strictly for Visitors and your Children.
Now your devices are safely behind their own Router / Firewall and much safer.
Doing this might seem like more effort than you want to do, but one virus will change your mind on this.
The worst issues come from Identity Theft and that is all bad.
Time Limited WIFI Access
You can setup Parental controls inside your Router.
Controls such as when your childrens devices can use WIFI.
What sites they cannot access.
Even time limits.
Remember to Always Backup Your Data
Always make sure that you backup your device on a regular basis.
This gives you the ability to restore it to its previous condition without losing important data.
If you believe that your device has contracted a virus or malware, immediately disconnect your device from the internet.
This prevents it from spreading the virus to other computers, which your friends and family will all appreciate.
Then you need to go to a clean computer – one that you know has not been contaminated – and change all of your passwords.
Malware is often designed to capture your passwords, so using an infected computer to change passwords on is not a good idea.
Make sure you choose safe passwords, and never use the same password for more than one application.
Use Professional Anti-Virus Software
Now comes the time-consuming part.
You need to scan your computer with an anti-virus program.
Then you need to do that again, with a different program.
Some anti-virus programs can catch viruses that others can’t, so using more than one is always recommended.
You also need to figure out where the malware or virus came from.
It is important to note that some malware is designed to hide in your computer and avoid anti-virus software, so a bootable anti-virus program that runs outside of windows can be invaluable.
After Removing the Virus …
After you have removed all traces of the malware or virus, you should check all the areas where your computer might be vulnerable.
Java is notorious for security lapses, and even Windows has many places where it is vulnerable to malware.
Backups, regular updates, and avoiding sketchy sites will all help to protect your computer from malware.
While many people have started using the Cloud Storage methods for our Data storage needs; there is always going to be some data that is not on the cloud and we need to figure out a great plan to backup and secure this Data.
Read our Main Article on Data Backup & Recovery to understand your options and limitations.
