Simple ways to avoid malware

It really does seem that malware is literally everywhere these days. From USB sticks to emails, the home user may be forgiven in assuming that there is no stopping the relentless horde of malware. But this is not true. Numerous reputable companies offer very formidable protection from the dangers that malware pose. If you are looking to purchase, I strongly recommend either Kaspersky Internet Security, or Norton Internet Security. But for those who feel that these products cost extortionate amounts, don’t worry there are free alternatives! Now let’s get started.

1.The biggest cause of infection today is through the internet. I know a person who has heard so many horror stories about the internet; they are actually convinced that by merely opening their browser they are going to be bombarded by malware. However the internet is a fantastic invention and no one should ever be afraid to use it. How about if I told you that there is a program that can make you about 99% secure when browsing the internet, no matter what sites you visit. Don’t believe me? Then check out Sandboxie. If running your browser sandboxed then anything you download, may it be software you want or a virus, is essentially trapped inside the isolated space that Sandboxie creates. Anything in Sandboxie cannot harm your computer, or make any changes what so ever to it. You can even install the viruses and then simply terminate Sandboxie and watch them disappear. (though this isn’t recommended) Now you may be thinking that something this good must have a drawback right? Well, you are correct. Unfortunately at the present moment, its full power can only be truly unleashed on 32 bit operating systems. This is due to a little feature called Kernel Patch Protection or PatchGuard that is only present in 64 bit operating systems. So here is what I think. If you have a 32 bit operating system, then Sandboxie is a must. If you have a 64 bit operating system then I would give it a miss.

2. Now on to the old favourite. Even the most basic computer user probably knows about, or has heard of an antivirus and a firewall. Words cannot describe the importance of an antivirus. They run in real time, constantly updating and scanning for any viruses. I base my antivirus comparisons on their detection rates. If they have a high detection rate, then it is obviously good, and a low detection rate bad. The antivirus that I would recommend would be Microsoft Security Essentials,as it has a good detection rate and is just really simple to use.

Now the firewall is a different story. The performance of Microsoft’s firewalls varies on the OS. If you are on XP then I would definitely replace my firewall. I used to use Comodo, but for the average user that can be overwhelming, so maybe a simpler firewall like Online Armor would suit the average user (Online Armor does not work with a 64 bit OS) Search the internet for others if you wish.

3. A far more overlooked area of malware fighting is the use of on demand scanners. On demand scanners don’t run in real time so they do not interfere with your antivirus. Most people scan with them once a week or once a month, often finding traces of malware which their antivirus hasn’t picked up. The highest rated one is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware which is widley regarded as outstanding! (And it's free!)

4. Autorun is responsible for what happens when you insert media into your computer and it plays automatically. This is how malware on a USB spreads so fast, as the computer automatically plays the data on the device, the malware simply injects its code into the computer. In order to prevent this, you should disable Autorun.

5. Do you share your computer with a computer illiterate user? If so, you should take steps to ensure that they are not going to infect your whole system through a lack of knowledge. If you are on a 32 bit OS then your browser should be run under Sandboxie anyway, but even the best software can and will eventually be beaten. This is why you should set them up with a Limited User Account or LUA. LUA’s basically strip the privileges of the user, making them unable to install software or change any important system settings. So if they do get infected then the removal process should be fairly simple as the malware wouldn’t be able to completely install.

6. Now my final tip… COMMON SENSE AND INSTINCT! If you think there is something dodgy about a website or some software, then follow your instinct and leave it alone! If something sounds too good to be true then guess what? It probably is. So no, you won’t win an iPod by shooting the ten targets on moving ducks. Seriously the amount of users who lack common sense is quite depressing, and those users are the reason that malware developers make money.