There’s always a risk of getting a virus when using the internet. Recently, we’ve seen more and more people becoming infected with viruses online, such as the Russian hacking attack on Yahoo. Although viruses are not necessarily new to the internet, they have been growing in number.
Can You Get A Virus From A Website?
Yes, you can. A virus can be spread via a website in the same way that a cold or flu is spread among people. People who have a cold or flu are contagious and can pass their infection onto others by coughing, sneezing, and physical contact. In the same way, websites can be used to transmit viruses from one computer to another.
What Is A Virus?
A virus is a type of malware that can infect a computer or mobile device such as a smartphone. In most cases, viruses are designed to spread from one user to another by copying themselves onto removable storage devices such as USB drives, memory cards, and CDs.
What Are The Types Of Viruses?
1. Macro viruses
These are used to infect Microsoft Office documents and spread through email attachments. They can cause widespread damage as they can be sent to thousands of people in just a few minutes.
2. Scripts
Scripts are used to create malicious programs that give hackers control over your computer and allow them to steal information or perform other harmful actions.
3. Trojans
Trojans can be used by hackers to take control of your computer and perform malicious tasks such as stealing personal data or taking over your accounts on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
4. Worms
Worms are smaller and more basic viruses that attempt to spread themselves through your network and take control of your computer.
5. Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that restricts access to your computer until you pay the hackers a ransom fee in order to regain control of it.
6. Keyloggers
Keyloggers are small pieces of malware that track your keystrokes on the computer so the hacker can gain access to personal information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, website logins, and passwords.
How Can You Protect Yourself From These Threats?
1. Keep your computer updated
Keeping your computer’s operating system, browser, and other software updated is one of the best ways to keep your device and information secure. Updates usually contain patches that fix bugs or security holes in the software so they can’t be exploited by hackers. If you don’t have automatic updates enabled on your computer, you should manually update it regularly so you know you’re protected at all times!
2. Make sure all of your devices are up to date
Whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, all of your devices should be kept up to date with the latest versions of their operating systems. If a new update is released for any of them, install it right away so they’re protected from viruses and malware that could infect them and steal valuable information from you.
3. Be careful what you click on
There are lots of phishing scams out there that try to trick people into clicking on links in emails or visiting websites that have dangerous viruses attached. If you don’t recognize where an email is coming from or if a link looks suspicious, don’t click on it! Instead, just delete the message and report it as spam or junk mail so your email provider can keep track of these types of messages for everyone else’s safety as well. You can also look into using an anti-virus program like Norton AntiVirus Basic to protect yourself from these types of threats online!
4. Only download apps from official stores
When you download an app from a store like Google Play or the Apple App Store, you’re getting it directly from the developer. This means that you can be sure that there aren’t viruses or other malicious software attached to it. If you download an app from anywhere else, though, there’s no telling what kind of security risks it could pose to your device.
5. Don’t click on suspicious links on social media
You may think that clicking on a link in something like Facebook or Twitter is safe because those sites are so heavily monitored and regulated by the company themselves. While they do try to keep things as secure as possible, there are always going to be some people who try to get around their security measures. If you ever see a link posted on one of these sites that seems suspicious in any way, don’t click on it! Copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar directly instead so you know where it’s really taking you and if it could put your device at risk for malware or other viruses.
6. Use a VPN service
A VPN service is one more way to protect yourself online by keeping your information safe from hackers and phishing scams! A VPN stands for “virtual private network” and works by encrypting all of the data traveling between your computer and the Internet so that no one can see what kind of information is being sent back and forth out of sight from prying eyes. You should use a VPN when using public Wi-Fi networks to keep your information safe from hackers and to be able to access blocked websites, too!
7. Keep all of your apps up to date
Newer versions of apps usually mean that the developer has found and fixed some kind of problem with them. If you’re running an older version of an app on your device, there could be a security flaw in it that could allow someone else to take control of your device or infect it with viruses! It’s always good practice to keep all of your apps updated so that you don’t run into any problems like this.
8. Use strong passwords
Passwords are important for keeping hackers out of your private information online, but if you aren’t careful about the kinds of passwords you use, they won’t do much good! Make sure that every password on every website is unique and long enough so that it’s hard for anyone else to guess what it is. You should also never use the same password for multiple accounts on different websites. This is a great way for hackers to gain access to all of your personal information at once if they manage to breach one account!
Conclusion
Viruses are a threat to any computer, but they are by no means a threat to the entire internet. The best way to protect yourself from these threats is to avoid clicking on random links or opening suspicious emails. It’s important to familiarize yourself with viruses and learn how they spread and what you can do to protect yourself.
