In this article, we will illustrate how you can go about removing viruses and malware from your computer and how you can devise a contingency plan that would protect you from future virus and malware attacks.
Viruses and malware are the greatest threat to one of the most valuable concepts of our modern life. The concept is based on collecting, analyzing, processing, and preserving data in digital format. To find out what havoc a virus or malware program can wreck, you do not need to be an IT specialist or tech guy. Almost everybody in today’s world has experienced the gruesome feeling of having a computer infected and losing valuable data. It’s so ironic that the war between good and evil is no longer limited to our substantial world. With the advent of viruses and malware, the horizons of this conflict have overwhelmed the digital world of computers.
The first step in removing viruses and malware is to detect them, just like the old saying, “a problem understood is half solved.” Thanks to modern computer security programs like antivirus software, they always do this job for you. Antivirus software antivirus programs are specially designed software used to detect, block, and remove malicious programs that could harm your computer and data. These malicious programs include viruses, Trojans, spyware, adware, rootkits, and worms. These programs are engineered to disrupt the standard functionality of the computer and force it to act in a way not facilitated by the legal owner or administrator of the computer. Some malicious programs like viruses harm your operating system, while others like Spywares are designed to get valuable information from your computer. These programs are hard to detect and remove as they work in stealth mode. An antivirus program can be a remedy or precautionary measure against these threats. Antivirus software uses various strategies to detect, block and remove malicious programs. Some of the most commonly used methods are listed below:
· Signature-based detection
· Heuristics
· Rootkit detection
As discussed earlier, your priority must be to stop the virus of a malicious program from entering your system. The best method is to install an antivirus program and keep it updated. However, if you failed to install one on time and the virus is already inside your storage facilities, you may take the following steps to minimize the damage.
1. Do not open or try to open the files, folders, or drive infected with malware or virus.
2. Immediately install good antivirus software and thoroughly scan your storage.
3. Allow the antivirus program to remove the virus for you since removing it manually is almost impossible and requires expert-level technical skills and knowledge – which the antivirus program has.
4. The antivirus program should usually give you three options after detecting a virus or malware. These options typically are Delete, Quarantine, and Ignore. Take appropriate action against the malware and always try to avoid the ignore option.
5. In the future, be careful while using removable storage media devices and try not to browse websites that have been defined as a potential threat to your computer.