Computer Threats- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

        During the last two weeks, I have learned a lot in my Computer Security class. I have learned how computer viruses work, how they can affect my computer, and what types of malicious programs are really out there. I have definitely become more aware of what I am doing on the computer. Though this may have been more relevant when I was learning about spam, today I was proud to teach someone close to me about how to avoid bad situations on the computer to prevent getting scammed, or even hackers on your computer. When my boyfriend received an email from 1st financial bank, about his credit card statement, not only were there links in the email, but also an attachment. By clicking the attachment, he could have downloaded viruses, spyware, even a bonnet. (Now, I will never download an attachment unless I know the sender and was expecting to receive an attachment.) When he clicked the hyperlink shown in the email, it took him to a site that was not the banks official website. I immediately made sure that he exited out of the website and went to the banks direct site. For some reason, he thinks this class is getting to my head- I think I’m just being a lot safer than I ever was before.
        In the future, I will make sure what I am doing is smart. And if I suspect a problem in my computer I will make sure to tackle the problem immediately. I will also run my anti-virus program on a weekly basis at minimum. Previously, I rarely bothered with anti-virus programs. Not only will I be more aware of my computer habits, but also my friends and family’s habits as well. My mom is notorious for opening junk emails and attachments, as well as clicking on pop-ups. I’m going to try and scare her into not doing these things anymore by the information I am learning.

         Here is a video that discusses how important an Anti-Virus program truly is. It also discusses how some virus protection software, is the exact opposite and could cause major issues with your computer that can be costly and very problematic. Symantec stresses using Norton Anti-Virus because that is their product, however there are many similar legit programs other than Norton. I personally use Norton Anti-Virus and am very satisfied with their software.



           One way to clean up your computer is through System Restore. There are many tutorials that show you how to do this on Windows. Here is one of them.



           I personally am going to show you how to do something very similar to System Restore, called Time Machine. This is pretty much Mac’s version of a System Restore. Watch the tutorial below!