Here's How to Protect Your PC From Viruses | Free Antivirus

Is your computer suddenly running slowly or exhibiting unusual behaviour? In such cases, you may be the victim of a cyber attack. Cybercriminals are using increasingly sophisticated attack methods. These five tips will help you protect your PC or laptop from viruses and other threats.

Did your laptop fan suddenly start while visiting a website? Your computer may be secretly generating cryptocurrency in the background. In the jargon, we speak of "mining". It is the cybercriminals, whose program runs clandestinely on your laptop, who arrogate to themselves the gains of this famous cryptomining (see sidebar) at your expense. According to Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report 2018, the number of criminals involved in mining has skyrocketed in recent months.

Cryptomining and cryptojacking

With cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ethereum, transactions (payments) are verified using a cryptographic process. This requires a lot of computing power and takes place on several computers at the same time. Whoever completes this check the fastest receives a small chunk of the cryptocurrency as compensation. This extraction is called English Cryptomining. At present, it is mainly carried out in specialized computing centres because of the consumption of resources that it requires.

Mining itself is neither criminal nor prohibited. Cybercriminals, however, install scripts (small programs) on websites to carry out cyber-breaching. When someone goes to such a site, the script is executed and the computer helps the cybercriminal to populate the crypto account, without your consent of course. As cybercriminals divert computational power from computers that do not belong to them for this purpose, the term "cryptojacking" has become established to refer to abusive mining.

However, this does not result in any direct damage. But because the computer is under heavy demand, other programs slow down, electricity consumption increases and data traffic increases on the Internet connection, so that your own tasks have the insufficient computing power and that the electricity bill can eventually soar. This is especially true if unwanted mining occurs on a company's servers.

To deactivate a cryptominer in the browser, all you have to do is close the latter.

While cryptomining does not cause direct harm, it places heavy demands on the computer and Internet connection. It may therefore happen that the backup fails and important documents may not be able to be backed up. Perhaps it is no longer possible to save your project work online or to save it. Several hours of work can thus be reduced to nothing. Or your laptop battery drains so quickly that you urgently need to find a power outlet. Cryptomining can lead to data loss in the worst case.

The good news about this is that the number of classic malware attacks that creep into computers through their security holes is stagnating. As this approach has become more difficult, users must prepare for new and unexpected attacks such as covert cryptomining. The topic of IT protection, therefore, remains relevant.

The following tips will help you protect your computer from attacks, according to the most current knowledge.

1. Make Regular Backups of Your Data

Sichern Sie Ihre Daten regelmässig. The backup itself should take place offline. In other words, it should not be permanently accessible through Windows Explorer. If you are using an external hard drive for your backup, disconnect it from your computer after the operation is complete, otherwise, malware may contaminate the backed up data.

As viruses and ransomware are normally also capable of accessing online storages, you should choose a dedicated cloud backup provider. Make sure that the data is encrypted on the computer and that it can only be accessed by the backup software after successful authentication.

2. The Best Virus Protection Is to Constantly Update the System and Software

However, most of the time, parasites nestle on your computer through security holes. Therefore, make sure that Windows, macOS, antivirus software and applications are always up to date. Use the auto-update feature for this purpose. It is especially necessary to update the software at the usual penetration points exploited by malware such as the web browser, Java, Adobe Reader and the Flash plugin. You can turn them off with confidence by following the instructions for common browsers such as Google Chrome that you will find on the Internet.

If you use your own servers or rented servers, for example for your website, you should also make sure that the system and software are up to date there.

3. Use Antivirus and a Firewall

Antivirus software can detect malware and block it in many cases. You can use Windows Defender, the antivirus that ships with current versions of Windows or a paid product. Definitions must be constantly updated.

You should also use a personal firewall that controls outgoing network traffic and can therefore block possible malware. Again, you can opt for Windows Firewall or a third-party product. If you use it in one PME office, you benefit from a comprehensive protection package with Swisscom Internet Security free of charge. This not only protects desktops and laptops but also smartphones and tablets.

You can protect yourself from cryptomining using a browser add-on such as Mining Blocker.

4. Don't Open Suspicious Emails and Attachments

Even an email that purportedly comes from a known sender may contain viruses or sniff your phishing online banking credentials. If you are in doubt as to the authenticity of the link or attachment, follow these steps:

hover your mouse over the sender's name in the "From" field in your mailbox without clicking. Most email programs display the sender's email address. Although it can be faked, the mere fact that your bank contacts you from a Google account should put the chip in your ears.

Copy the link in the email in the Windows Editor or in TextEdit on Mac. If the address (URL) looks suspicious, delete the email. But beware: cyberdeliquants sometimes use special characters from other languages ​​that closely resemble those in our alphabet or that are difficult to detect. Have you noticed the cedilla in "déceler"?

Save the attachment to the computer and scan it with your free antivirus.

If in doubt or if you know the sender of the email, find out.

5. Block Suspicious Support Calls

A popular trick, and widespread in Switzerland: a fraudster, mostly English-speaking, contacts you by phone and claims to be a Microsoft support employee. It seeks to obtain your access data or your credit card information.

If the caller asks you for your password, there is no longer any doubt: it is indeed a fraudulent assistance call. No, IT provider or bank will ever ask you for your password. And while it might be interesting sometimes, Microsoft will never call you because of some problem with your computer. Hang up your handset immediately.