17

Jan
2023

Boost Your Immunity to Online Bugs

January 17th, 2023 | by admin admin | in Security Advice |    0   

Cold and flu season has arrived, but the folks at Get Cyber Safe are focusing on electronic bugs these days. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month. As with most diseases, prevention and early treatment is the key to containing outbreaks. Protect yourself, protect everyone around you. Consider it herd immunity for the global network.

Basic cyber security "hygiene" can be summed up as "stop and think." Before clicking on links, downloading attachments or apps, posting photos or financial information, approving permission requests, buying online etc., ask yourself  whether the source is legitimate and weigh the risks.

Scan your devices regularly with up-to-date security software. Automatically update all software, particularly your operating system and applications. Use strong passwords and different passwords for different uses.

But how would you know whether your computer has already been infected by a virus? Here are a few things to check for:

• Your computer takes longer to start up, restarts on its own or doesn't start up at all.
• It takes a long time to launch a program.
• Files and data have disappeared.
• Your system and programs crash constantly.
• The homepage you set on your web browser has changed. This may also be caused by Adware that has been installed on your computer.
• Web pages are slow to load.
• Your computer screen looks distorted.
• Programs are running without your control.

Using up-to-date security software, scan your system for viruses. If problems persist, seek technical help.

While the term "virus" refers to any malicious software, usually distributed via e-mail or compromised web sites, cyber criminals have developed a whole host of online plagues. The Get Cyber Safe web site has compiled a primer on viruses and other cyber security threats, such as:

• Trojan horses
• Botnets
• Hacking
• Spyware
• Malware
• Pharming
• Spam
• Phishing
• Phishing
• Spoofing
• Worms
• Wi-fi Eavesdropping

By learning more about these threats, you're helping to build the herd's immunity.

Sources:

Cyber Security Awareness Month 2013, Get Cyber Safe Canada

Awareness Week, StaySmartOnline Australia

Note: This blog discusses general safety and security topics. It is not intended to provide comprehensive advice or guidance. In all matters of personal safety and security, we encourage readers to research topics in depth and consult a security professional about specific concerns.

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