Virus attack is a dangerous and expensive threat for small business owners, as someone has to spend their time to clean up the system and recover any crashed or infected data. Though we have many clean up software and data recovery techniques to attend to the issue, it’s always prevention is better than cure. So here are few tips that you can implement to protect your computers from malicious attacks:
Install an Antivirus Software:
It is always good that you have a licensed antivirus software installed in your computer to protect, scan and clean up viruses. In case, you aren’t sure on which one to buy, please get recommendations from your tech support team. Also, ensure that your antivirus program is up-to-date and remember to run regular scans on your PC.
Keep your firewall turned on:
It is always important that your windows firewall is turned on. Even in case you have turned off your firewall for some reasons, remember to turn it on as soon as possible. Firewall alerts you on every malicious attack on your computer and blocks hackers from downloading harmful programs.
Run regular software updates:
Updates are nothing but fixes for various identified bugs and potential threats identified on a regular basis. So it is always important that you install all the windows update and keep all your software programs up to date.
Scan unexpected Email attachments:
It is always safe that you do not open email attachments that have reached your inbox from an unknown source. However, even in case of you are too curious, please ensure that the attachment is scanned by your anti-virus program.
Scan all removable Media:
Please ensure that you scan all the removable media like CD, DVD, USB Drives, etc., before you open them. This is a real must even if it is for personal use only as these media are plugged to different computers and laptops.
Do not run Untrusted Programs:
It is a good habit to know more in detail about a specific program before installing it on your computer. Windows warns you on programs that are untrusted, which means they may not be safe to run on this computer. In these cases, please get advice from your tech support.
Avoid Downloads from Untrusted sources:
Most of the viruses and other malicious software are downloaded from the Internet. Avoid running any kind of executable files (.exe) from an untrusted online source. Also download from torrent programs may be infected as they are from unknown sources.
User Account Restriction:
User account restriction is one of the very primary steps that every small business should adapt to. Do not provide administrative rights to every user account in your office unless it is required. This may avoid users from installing unwanted programs or using unauthorized media.
Restrict Browser settings:
Small business owners may restrict users from accessing specific websites or restrict the downloads of any unauthorized programs.
Periodic Maintenance:
Maintaining your computers periodically is much cheaper and time saving than repairing an infected computer. It is always good that you have a scheduled maintenance plan for your Admin or tech support to inspect your computers periodically and get them cleaned up. This may ensure that all the settings and restrictions deployed in your computers are in place as some employees may be techie than you think.