Five things you must do to beat the viruses that attack your computer
You don’t need to spend lots of money to get good anti-virus protection for your devices
Trojans, botnets, worms, viruses and ransomware…. No, this isn’t the script of a science fiction movie – those are all very real threats to our computers. Recently we saw how vulnerable we are when an unprecedented global attack known as WannaCry was launched recently.
To date more than 230,000 computers have been affected in 150 countries, with the worst-hit being Russia, Ukraine, India and Taiwan.
The UK’s National Health Service was particularly badly hit but its equivalent here, the HSE, escaped largely unscathed after shutting down its systems overnight following the advance warning.
WannaCry is a worm, a form of malware (short for malicious software) that replicates itself constantly so it can infiltrate large numbers of PCs running the Windows operating system.
It’s also a form of ransomware. This means it encrypts files that can’t be opened until victims pay a ransom – initially $300 (€270) – using the untraceable cyber currency bitcoin.
Although the problem seems to have peaked, WannaCry is still spreading and can continue to affect unprotected personal computers if you’re not careful.
Already another virus that’s less widespread but more insidious is doing its dirty work around the world. Known as Adylkuzz, this is less obvious but potentially more damaging in the long term as it can remain undetected for years.
It exploits the same vulnerabilities as WannaCry – and so can be stopped in the same way.
Instead of declaring its presence by demanding a ransom, it secretly consumes your computer’s resources.
Whoever is behind it can secretly call on an army of machines and harness their collective power – known as a botnet – for nefarious purposes.
Another form of virus is known as a Trojan horse, or Trojan, as it sneaks onboard by pretending to be something else, just like the Greeks did in Troy.
So what can we do to protect our computers, tablets and smartphones from this and many other forms of attack that seem to be multiplying and getting worse?
1Make sure your software is up to date. Microsoft issues software updates all the time, often for security reasons. These known as patches. It already issued one in March to fix the weakness targeted by WannaCry. Older versions of Windows are more vulnerable
but Microsoft has issued patches for them too that are available on its website. Open the home page and then click support.
2Back everything up. This is a good idea anyway if you haven’t already done so. Use cloud-based systems such as Dropbox and also local hard drives that are only occasionally connected to your computer or the internet so they are not attacked too. 3 Make sure you have the latest security software installed (see panel). Even if it’s free, it’s better than nothing. These automatically detect dubious files and alert you or just destroy these.
Antivirus software should detect existing malware and prevent other nasties from infiltrating your computer. It will scan when requested and at specified periods and alert you whenever a dubious file is downloaded. It can do much more – such as assessing sites, rating them and warning you.
4Download any file or web material with extreme caution, especially from sites that you do not know to be completely trustworthy. Antivirus software can help assess websites – and spot dodgy downloads and files.
5If you are attacked with ransomware, immediately disconnect the affected devices. Completely wipe any affected machines and upload only data and software you know to be completely clean.