Whether you are a system administrator in a large company or an occasional user, viruses and worms can easily affect your computer system if proper precautions are not taken. The type of damage done to the computer can range from minor to severe with common issues related to slow performance, email spoofing, or total PC destruction. More serious problems could cause the hard drive to be wiped. Here are six basic rules to help protect your PC:

Strong security software

Install a top-notch security software suite on your PC and make sure it’s up to date. Any tested software package will increase the ability to combat spyware, hacker, and Trojan attacks, and includes many different technologies, such as antiphishing, antispam, firewall, antispyware, and antivirus. Also, use the most advanced software that constantly runs in the background and will continue to scan files, email attachments, websites or other programs while in use.

internet service provider

Sign up with a reliable Internet Service Provider (ISP) that uses strong anti-phishing and anti-spam technologies to prevent many viruses from even reaching your PC.

Automatic Windows Updates

Let the Windows operating system update automatically to ensure the latest software is always installed on your PC. Windows often releases patches that help fix known vulnerabilities. If these are not downloaded as soon as they are posted, there is a higher risk of spyware or Trojans infecting the computer.

email attachments

Avoid opening email attachments unless they are sent by someone you know and trust. Most security software can be configured to automatically scan attachments when they are received. Also, your preferred email program should not be set to automatically display graphics or open attachments.

Peer-to-peer file sharing

Be very careful when using Peer-to-Peer (P2P) technology to share digital media because it is easy to hide Trojans in this type of program. Similar to email, you only open these files when they come from a trusted source. Certain file extensions should be avoided, including those ending with bat, bin, cmd, dll, lnk, scr, and vbs.

Take backups regularly

Backing up important files on PC will surely be beneficial in the unfortunate event of being attacked by a virus or worm. If your PC becomes unresponsive or files are lost after an attack, backup will make it easy to recover lost personal information (bank statements or tax returns), movies, music, photos, and more.