How to protect yourself from computer viruses

The dark danger that threatens the cyber world is the most terrifying. It's probably impossible to escape. "Computer Viruses" General computer users are worried and fear that their computers will be infected with evil viruses. So, is there any way to help escape from this computer virus?

How to protect yourself from computer viruses

The dark danger that threatens the cyber world is the most terrifying. It's probably impossible to escape. "Computer Viruses" General computer users are worried and fear that their computers will be infected with evil viruses. So, is there any way to help escape from this computer virus?

Subject: How to protect yourself from computer viruses
Compiled by : Kitisak
Source : ThaiCERT: Thai Computer Emergency Response Team, Computer Security Coordination Center, Thailand
Jirawanakun
Published on : 8 July 2003

The dark danger that threatens the cyber world is the most terrifying. It's probably impossible to escape. "Computer virus" General computer users are frightened and fear that their computers may be infected with malicious viruses. So, is there any way to help escape from this computer virus? Therefore, this article will discuss various methods. that will be used to protect yourself from computer viruses Start with local management such as Installing an antivirus program as well as using programs that are connected to the Internet such as web browser programs Program used to read e-mail etc.

This article therefore aims to provide benefits for both general computer users. Computer network administrator as well as executives who will be able to use these methods in drafting computer security policies.

Note How to say all of the following? It is only a basic method of self-protection. May not be able to protect against viruses. 100%

  1. Vaccination to increase immunity

    Disconnect the network before installing the operating system It is a very important step and almost all users neglect and skip this step. Before installing the operating system, you must disconnect the LAN cable first. Until the antivirus program is finished installing, the antivirus database must be updated. To prevent attacks from viruses or intruders before modifying the machine to be strong enough

    Vaccination protection That is, installing an antivirus program for the computer. It's not that just installing an antivirus program will keep you safe from computer viruses. Therefore, the principles of practice regarding using antivirus programs to keep the machine safe are as follows.

      • Select appropriate antivirus programs or those specified by the organization. The selection is only to select the use that is appropriate for the computer you have and the organization. For example, If the machine in use is not very efficient You may choose to use an antivirus program that is small and works quickly. Or if personnel within the organization lack awareness of updating the virus database, they should choose an antivirus program that allows the administrator to control the machine to update the database or scan for viruses remotely. etc.
      • Create an emergency boot disk to help with system recovery Creating an emergency disk, or sometimes called a rescue disk, is very necessary. If the computer is infected with a virus that cannot be eliminated through the Windows operating system. or the impact of a virus that prevents the machine from booting normally We can use an emergency disk to help recover data and remove viruses so that the machine can boot normally.
      • Update virus database daily or at least once a week This step is like the heart of using an antivirus program. Because new computer viruses are developed every day. Therefore, it is a good idea to teach antivirus programs to recognize new viruses by improving the virus database they use.
      • Enable auto - protect Most installed antivirus programs create a process that constantly checks for viruses. To prevent viruses from being executed on the machine
      • Before opening files from discs used from other places, scan them for viruses first. Discs that were used elsewhere and then returned to the machine for playback How can I be sure that the disk does not contain viruses? Therefore, the disc should be checked for viruses before opening and reading the data contained on the disc.
      • Test for viruses weekly Each week, there are sure to be many files that pass through the machine, whether it be e-mails received. Files downloaded from the internet as well as temporary files of the web browser program that are stored each time you visit the website. So how can you be sure that those files do not have viruses hidden in them? Therefore, it is advisable to check for viruses. By scanning the entire system Maybe every Friday evening before going home.

         
  2. Is the software safe?

    Software is known to have vulnerabilities. To protect against external threats Through the software developed Therefore, those software developers must always keep up with version updates. And program users themselves need to follow news about changes to the software they use from vendors or developers. including websites, various magazines, etc.

    Operating system It is not always necessary to use the newest operating system. But if within the organization there is enough financial power to change, it would be good. But if due to a small budget, use the same operating system but must follow up on various Hotfix and Service Pack updates

    Internet Explorer or IE It is a web browser program that comes with every version of the Windows operating system. Because modern viruses use vulnerabilities. "Incorrect MIME Header Can Cause IE to Execute E-mail Attachment" In an attack, which involves automatically executing a virus file attached to an email. And this attack was very successful. Therefore, the method to prevent viruses is to update the version of the IE program to the latest version. Which is now version 6 Service Pack 1 (IE 6 SP1). Adjusting the Security Zone settings is a way to help protect you from computer viruses to a certain extent.

    Program for reading email From statistical data, it is found that computer viruses in the recent era are internet worms. that can spread itself via e-mail has increased in number This allows people who unknowingly execute files that viruses attach to e-mails. As a result, the machine can be infected with a virus. Therefore, the best way to prevent this is to configure the program so that it does not automatically execute files attached to e-mails. Also, you should not save or execute files that are not sure whether they are infected or not. To eliminate the risk of infection with the virus

    Microsoft Office programs Preventing the spread of viruses that have a direct impact on this program is Preventing the execution of macro programs attached to common document files Typically, when opening a document file with embedded macros, Microsoft Office will display a dialog that tells whether or not to execute the macro attached to the file. Answer Disable to cancel the use of macros in that file.

       

  3. File sharing and receiving and sending various files

    File sharing is very useful for sending and receiving files within an organization. Because it is both fast and low cost But did you know that from this benefit also comes the terrifying danger of computer viruses? Therefore, file sharing should be done with caution. If possible, it is not a good idea to share files. But if in actual use If there is a need to share a file, it should be shared as read-only. And you should set a password with

    Sharing files through other programs such as KaZaA is another channel for new computer viruses to penetrate and spread within the machine.

    Receiving and sending files through various chat programs. When receiving files from an unknown interlocutor, such files should not be received. However, it also depends on what type of file it is. By looking at the extension of the file. Especially files with extensions .exe .pif .com .bat or .vbs etc. that must be especially careful.

       

  4. Back up data

    When unexpected events occur on the machine in use. For example, a power failure Or the virus spreads to important files. This may result in the machine being unable to be used normally or certain files being unable to be used. This may result in the owner of the said device losing important data. Therefore, if we have a backup of the data The problem of users losing data will be greatly reduced. Backing up data for use in system recovery should be done frequently. At least about 1 time per week. and things that should be backed up often is

    • Backing up the registry Viruses and worms often cause damage by modifying values ​​in the registry, so backing up the registry is very important to help restore the system.
    • Backing up various data No one wants a situation where they need to delete some infected files. And that file is very important. But when the incident happened The best way to solve this problem is to restore the files from a backup.

       

       

  5. Follow various news

    Because of one day There will be a lot of new computer viruses coming out. Therefore, quickly receiving information and finding ways to prevent it is one of the best ways to prevent computer viruses. Whether it is a general user go or even the administrator himself Therefore, you should find a way to receive news about computer viruses and news about computer security.

    News website about various computer viruses. that should be followed