The world is already under a lot of stress, pressure and tension due to Coronavirus pandemic and its different strains. Scientists and health workers are working hard day and night to help the general population fight off this crisis. On many fronts we have been quite successful but it is still a long way to go before we can completely eradicate it. But now it seems that we just not have to worry about our health but also the health of our PCs.
Don’t worry, it is not the biological virus that we need to keep our computers safe from but rather a digital one. A recently detected malware named Coronavirus by its creators is wreaking havoc throughout the world’s computers. As if that nomenclature was not enough to gain attention, the developers and coders who created it also named the file it produces as Covid-19. Probably just to gain attention in this pandemic. This malware can spread quite easily as well and you need to take care and follow some simple steps in order to protect your computer and data from the attack of this digital virus.
Covid-19 Malware Computer Virus
There are some of the ways in which this new virus can spread to your PC. Some of them are.
- Unverified web Download
- As an email attachment
- Unverified software from malicious website
- Fake Application update
- Downloaded and pirated games
- Pirated CD’s and DVD’s
- Unchecked USB drives
So as you can see that there is no single way or steps that you will have to take to avoid downloading this virus. But taking some precautions and precautionary steps would still be great rather than doing nothing. If this virus hits your computer then it will look like that your computer is doing some processing and steps after that the malware will show you a real image or coronavirus and then you will be left with a rebooting computer system with a grey background displaying words ”Your computer has been trashed”.
Also Read: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Tracker – A Breakthrough By Microsoft Bing Team
So in order to avoid this scenario here are some of the steps that you can take. Have a look.
Get an Antivirus
Your first step should be to purchase a subscription based antivirus that is verified and is one of the best in the market. All the best antivirus software have up to date virus signature databases and are already aware of Covid-19. So if you have one of the top listing guys then you can be assured that your system is almost safe.
Why do you need a subscription based antivirus? If you purchase a one-time payment package then you won’t be able to enjoy all the updates and upgrades which are quite necessary and are only available with subscription based. So don’t take a chance. Go for subscription.
Avoid unknown emails
Avoid downloading any attachments which come from unknown sources. You never know what is hidden in that attachment. Millions of emails are spammed across the globe daily and a large number of them contain some kind of malware and possibly viruses that may just attack and replicate inside of your PC.
For safety and to protect your data do not directly download any attachments even when the mail is from a known and verified source. Allow some time for your antivirus to check for any potential threats from malwares and computer viruses. After it has given you a clean chit, you can proceed to download.
Also Read: Coronavirus Pandemic: More Than 20 Million Chinese Cellphone Users Disappear!
Say no to pirated games and files
Piracy is not ethical on its own and should not be practiced. It is illegal to download and use pirated files and software in many countries and can land you in a lot of lawsuits and legal trouble if caught.
Coming to another reason as to why you should avoid downloading and using pirates software, games, music or any kind of data, is because most of the time, this data is attached with different kinds of malicious malware viruses. So when you launch these games or applications, there are different kinds of activities that start in the background which you cannot see because your screen is occupied by the game. So all the replication, deletion, copying of files, etc. are done when you are occupied somewhere else.
And if you are planning to bring any kind of data from your friends, colleagues, family members or a stranger (which you obviously shouldn’t), let your antivirus scan it for you before you transfer the data. Also, don’t forget to turn the auto update on to keep your antivirus updated. All these steps will be enough to protect your computer from different malwares and viruses.
Hope it helps. And if you are under lock-down then stay indoors and stay safe. We will get through this.
Thanks for reading!
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