“In 2017,
the "Wanna-Cry" computer virus put the world's big companies in check
and shook home users around the world. He was taking advantage of a
weakness in Windows to carry out an attack that rendered devices unusable and
demanded large sums of money in exchange for their release. The fact, of
course, was known all over the planet and called into question the security systems
in the network.”
Computer viruses have
been present in our lives for decades. Despite this, there are many
occasions in which false alarms are created about its
circulation through the network. It is true that there will always be
risk, but you have to work hard to end the famous hoaxes.
The origin of the computer virus dates
back to 1972. Then, it attacked the Tenex operating system, present in American
computers used for research and education. His name was “Creeper” and he
was created, without malicious intent, by an engineer named Bob
Thomas. The virus circulated on the Internet always sending the same
message: “I am the creeper, catch me if you can.”
To combat it, "Reaper" was
created, considered the first antivirus in history. In
the 1980s the first malicious viruses emerged. Since that time, hundreds
of viruses have emerged, some very aggressive. Although it is difficult to
decide which has been the worst in history, many experts highlight “Chernobyl”. It
was created in 1998 and attacked 60 million Windows and Millennium
computers. It erased all the data on the devices and prevented their
start-up.
Virus classes
One of the first malicious viruses was
“Rabbit ", which blocked devices. Then "Elk Cloner" appeared
which affected Apple, and "Brain", on IBM computers. From
here, a list of computer viruses was created:
· Residents They are in the memory of the
computer and alter files as they are selected or closed.
· Direct
action. They are
installed in the root directory of the hard drive and attack when a program is
run.
· Overwriting. We found them in the
archives. They remove the contents and replace them with others.
· Located
on the desktop. The
famous “cluster ". They change the location of the files when we
try to access them.
· Boot
system virus. They
attack the moment the hard drive is running.
Other types of secondary viruses
· Trojans. They hide behind a harmless
appearance, for example a program, and cause hackers to take control of your
computer to steal personal data. The most famous is "Zeus",
which affected more than three million devices in the US. 77% of them had
updated antivirus.
· Worms It is a malware that
spreads when we transfer files. It causes system hangs and wastes
bandwidth. The best known was "Morris", which in 1988 affected
tens of thousands of computers with an Internet connection.
· Spyware. It collects data from your
device and transfers it to another place. One of the most dangerous is the
"Sky go free", which affects smartphones and with which hackers can
completely control the phone.
· Adware. It tracks your computer's
memory to find out your preferences and shows you advertisements constantly.
· Browser
hijackers. Control
your browser and direct you to other websites.
· Email
virus. They
appear when you open an email. The most famous is the "I LOVE
YOU" virus. In 2000, and in just five hours, it infected 10% of the
computers connected to the Internet at that moment, causing damages valued at
10 billion Euros.
· Ransomware. They lock your device and ask
for a ransom to release it.
How to protect ourselves from computer
viruses?
The best thing is to install an antivirus, although we
must know that the system itself has mechanisms to protect itself. This is
the case of Windows Defender or Windows Security. There is also other free
antivirus such as
Avast or Kaspersky.
They may look like simple programs,
but they are very effective at destroying Trojans, worms, or spyware. Of
course, you have to be aware of new updates. In addition to antivirus,
there are other options to prevent our devices from being affected:
·
You
have to be especially careful with social networks. Never open a file
without checking its origin.
·
Close
the website when the browser tells you that it is not a secure site.
·
Do
not accept contact files that you do not know.
·
Make
backup copies of your files periodically.
1. Install ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE.
This advice may go without saying, and
we mentioned it earlier. However, many computers - especially home
computers - do not have virus / malware protection. This protection is an
essential first step in keeping your PC virus-free.
2. Keep your antivirus software
updated.
Having protection software is
the first step; keeping it is the second. The free antivirus software is
better than nothing, but note that it is not the best solution. Microsoft
provides a "free" security package. It's free, because if you
have Windows on your computer, you are granted access, but you paid
for your Windows license. Many users are not aware of this program, but it
is actually a decent protection.
3. Run regularly scheduled scans with
your Antivirus Software.
This too may seem obvious, but many of
us forget to do it. Set the software to run at regular
intervals. Once a week is preferable, but don't expect much longer between
each scan. It is difficult to work on the computer while the antivirus
software is running. One solution is to run the software at night when the
computer is not being used. However, we often turn off our computers at
night, so the scan never runs. Set your antivirus software to run on a
specific night and always leave your computer running on that day. Make
sure it doesn't automatically shut down or go into hibernate mode.
4. Keep your operating system updated.
Whether you use Windows, Mac OS
X, Linux or any other operating system, keep it up to date. Developers
of operating systems always release security patches that fix and cover
security leaks. These patches will help you keep your system
safe. Similarly, keep your antivirus software up to
date. The virus and malware are created all the
time. Your scan-software is only as good as your
database. You should also be as up to date as possible.
5. Protect your network.
Many of our PCs connect to our files,
printers or the Internet through a Wi-Fi connection. Make sure
it requires a password to access it and that the password is strong. Never
browse an open Wi-Fi connection.
Use WPA or WPA2 encryption. PME
is no longer strong enough, as experts can avoid it in a matter of
minutes. It is also a good idea not to broadcast your SSID (the name of
your Wi-Fi network). You can still access it with your device; you just
have to manually enter the SSID and password. If you frequently have
guests using your internet, provide a guest SSID that uses a different
password, just in case your friends are evil hackers.
6. Think before you click.
Avoid websites that you don't
trust. Don't open an email attachment from someone or a company you don't
know. Don't click a link in an unsolicited email. Always hover your
mouse over a link (especially one with a URL shortened) before clicking to see
where the link actually takes you.
If you need to download a file from
the Internet, email, FTP site, file-sharing service, etc., please analyze it
before running. Good Antivirus
Software will do it automatically, but make sure it's being done.
7. Keep your personal information
safe.
This is probably the hardest thing to
do on the Internet. Many hackers will access your files not by brute
force, but through social engineering. They will get enough information to
access your accounts online and collect more of your personal data.
They will continue from account to
account until they have enough information to allow them to access your bank
details or simply steal your identity. Be careful with message boards and
social media. Lock all your privacy settings and avoid using your real
name or identity in the discussion forums.
8. Don't use open Wi-Fi
When in the cafeteria, the library and
especially at the airport, do not use the open Wi-Fi “free” (no password, no
encryption). Think about it. If you can access it without problems,
what can a hacker do?
9. Make a backup of your files.
The best thing to do is back up your
files, all of them. Ideally, you should have your files (your data) in at
least three places: where you work on them, on a separate storage device, and
off-site.
Keep your files on your computer, back
up to an external hard drive, and then back up to a different
location. You can use a backup service or simply get two external hard
drives and keep one at work, at a friend's house, at a family member's house,
or in a safe deposit box.
10. Use several strong passwords.
Never use the same password,
especially on your bank account. Normally, we use the same email address
or username for all of our accounts. They are easy to see and
steal. If you use the same password for everything, or many things, and it
is discovered, then it will only take a few seconds to hack into an
account. Use a strong password. Please use lower case, upper case,
numbers and symbols in your password. Keep it easy to remember but hard to
guess. Don't use dates or pet names.
False legends about computer viruses
They come in by email. It is one of the ways, but not
the only one. Also online, on social networks.
My computer is slow. it has a virus! No. I may have
it, but your device may get stuck for other reasons such as lack of system maintenance,
hard drive failure.
If my screen turns blue, I have a virus. The blue screen
is usually caused by bad software, not viruses.
Porn sites have viruses. Every time less. The
pornographic industry now moves a lot of money and they have increasingly
greater security systems.
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