So many different words for essentially the same thing – nasty unwanted things on your precious laptop doing bad things with your data. Once upon a time a virus scanner was all you needed. It spotted the bad stuff and stopped it in it’s tracks. It’s a little different now – malware is big business and it’s a continual battle between the malware authors, the security companies and software authors. It’s a bit of a mess to be honest!
What can you do?
- Keep things up to date.
Patch. Patch like there’s no tomorrow. OSX, Windows, WordPress, your phone, your website theme, plugins, apps, everything.
Any virus needs a way in. It’s a bit like your house – don’t leave your windows open. Make sure you don’t have a bit gaping hole in your door. If you can, let things update automatically. Windows now does this, as does WordPress. Wordfence (WordPress plugin) will warn you as soon as new versions of plugins are available. - Don’t run things you don’t trust.
That website that suddenly thinks you need a new plugin to display video? Nope. A new virus scanner you’ve never heard of which promises to delete all known nasties? Doubtful.
Be cynical. Check the website you’re on. If in doubt say ‘no’. - Use an ad-blocker.
Slightly contentious, but ads are a major way of getting into your PC/Mac. I’m personally a big fan of ‘ublock origin’. Obviously this deprives websites of advertising cash, but you can allow ads on individual websites you trust. - Anti-virus software.
All the way down at number 4. And possibly even more contentious than number 3. Put simply virus scanners aren’t what they used to be. Most risks come from emails and webpages which anti-virus packages tend to be a little slow on the uptake with. They’re still recommended, but better to have strong doors than a doorman. - Be cynical.
No such thing as a free lunch, etc. Don’t visit dodgy websites, or download software which promises the earth. You’d have heard about it if it was that good! Is something random asking you to make changes to your laptop? Click ‘no’! - Take backups.
Nothing over the top, just a trusted copy of your important stuff. And keep a couple of old versions too, just in case. - And patch. Seriously.