How can you tell if your computer is safe?

In todays world it is essential to have a strong cyber security defense and a safe computer. Having a safe computer means many things, you know all of your personal information is safe and nobody is deleting or stealing assets or files. There are many types of malware that can make your computer “unsafe”. Some of those being: viruses, spyware, worms, trojan horses, dialers, keyloggers, and adware. A virus attaches to files and code and effects systems on your computer through that program. Spyware gathers information about a person or company with out their knowledge. Worms act independently an don’t need to attach to a program to harm your computer. Dialers are programs that installs themselves onto your computer and can dial phone lines at another location. Keyloggers record what your typing on your keyboard and lastly adware is advertising supported software that automatically generates advertisements to create revenue for the owner. To make sure your computer is safe you should be equipped with an anti virus program such as Microsoft Security Essentials that can scan files and protect anything from attaching to them. More ways is to keep your anti-virus software up to date and update it at least once a week. Next scan all programs and data and scan your computer frequently. Another essential tip is to never open links to a site or picture without verifying the sender. For example is the email you open has a link and is from an unknown user it can afflict malware to your computer. Even if the link is from a friend if it looks sketchy you should verify with your friend that they sent the link. Lastly to make sure your computer is safe is to be weary of downloading programs and extensions from websites they often contain malware.