The 4 most common ways of getting a virus, and what you can do to avoid them.

Just about anyone who uses a computer these days knows about viruses. Most people know to run anti-virus software and to call a technician if they think they have a virus but the most common question I get is still “so how do you think I got this?”
Most of today’s infections are caused by performing one of these four actions:

1) Clicking on a link in an email.

2) Clicking on a link in an instant message like MSN or ICQ.

3) Clicking on a link in Facebook.

4) Running an unsecured network or out of date software.
It used to be that virus creators did it for bragging rights. It was a challenge and point of pride to see how many systems they could infect. Nowadays though, it’s big business. In the good old days they wanted you to know that you were infected. Sometimes a large message would come up on the screen informing you that you had been infected, and then it would erase your hard drive. Nowadays they don’t want you to know that they are there and go to great lengths to try and make your computer run as if nothing is wrong.
They run quietly and can perform any number of functions. Some record your browsing history and try to send popups related to your search habits. Some record your keystrokes and send them back to their creator who searches for Credit Card Numbers, Bank Account numbers and any other useful information they can mine from it.
Sometimes they add your computer to what is known as a Bot Net. A Bot Net is a group of computers (sometimes hundreds of thousands large) that can be remotely controlled by the creator to perform tasks without the user even knowing something is going on. One example of this would be to launch a DOS (Denial of Service) attack. Websites are designed to handle a certain number of visitors, but if a website were to have 200,000 people visit it all at once, it would crash and sometimes take hours to get back up. Someone who controls one of these Bot Nets would call a big gambling website a couple days before a big fight or race and “make them an offer they can’t refuse”. For a few hundred thousand dollars, they will make sure no one launches a DOS attack on that site, thus crashing the site and costing them millions of dollars in lost gambling bets.
So, now that you have heard all of the worst case scenarios and I have scared you so much you are about to pull your power cable out of the wall, let me tell you a few simple things you can do to make sure you stay uninfected.
As I say to my customers, most viruses can be avoided by practicing “Safe Surfing”. This includes:
Don’t go to websites you don’t know:

If you have seen a website advertised then they are usually safe, but watch out for websites linked from other sites or emails sent to you by email or instant message (more on this later)
Don’t install software from a third party site:

One of the ways these sites will try and trick you into installing a virus is to disguise it as something else. Your friend sends you a link to a website promising something cute (usually without knowing), you click on the link to view the video but are greeted with an error message saying you can’t view it because you don’t have the latest version of Flash “click HERE to download the latest version” it promises. You click and download it to your computer, you follow the instructions to a tee by double clicking on it to install but nothing happens and you still can’t see the video. That’s because that was not the latest version of Flash, but a virus, and now it’s on your computer. If a website tells you that you need a new version of Adobe Flash to view the video, go to Adobe’s website and install it from them directly.
Don’t click on links in Emails, Instant Messages or Facebook:

This may sound harsh but the huge majority of viruses out there are spread this way. The main problem with these are generic or vague subject lines or titles. If you see an email in your inbox with the subject “funny video” and the body is nothing but a link, delete it as fast as you can. Even if it comes from a friend, actually, especially if it comes from a friend. Most of the time people don’t know they are sending these messages. Their computer is infected with a virus which is causing it to send these messages to everyone on their contact list. The solution to this is pretty simple but not widely practiced. Make sure messages are personalized. Instead of sending an email with the subject line “Funny Video”, have it say “Hi Tom, I saw this video and thought of the conversation we had the other day at lunch” or put the time and date you sent it in the subject line so they know it’s not a generic letter. I have even been known to call people if I get an email from them and I am not sure if they knew they sent it or not.
Secure your computer:

Antivirus software is great, but for the most part it doesn’t kick in until there is already a problem. Using a hardware firewall such as a Router is one of the best ways to protect your computer from online attacks. If you have a wireless router, make sure you have enabled the wireless encryption.
Stay up to date:

Microsoft releases patches for Windows and Internet Explorer on the second Tuesday of every month. If there is a serious problem that arises, they will sometimes release before that but very rarely. Make sure you download and install these updates as they fix security holes and vulnerabilities. Don’t think your safe if you’re running a Mac either. With the recent increase in Macs market share (up 2% from 5% to7%) more people are making viruses for Macs, and even Apple is recommending their users install Anti Virus software.
That’s about it. Follow these simple rules and you should enjoy many years of happy, virus free surfing. That is until your kids or baby sitter get on your computer and click every download button in sight J
If you have any questions or comments about this article, feel free to leave us a note down below.