Anyone who has a computer or some sort of computerized device, has the possibly of becoming infected with malware or viruses especially because software is constantly updating. A computer virus essentially interferes with the performance of a device by replicating itself and spreading throughout an operating system – kind of like a human with a viral infection and getting sick. It is possible to potentially notice if a system or operating platform is infected with a virus because you man notice programs become damaged, files are randomly deleted or reformatted differently, performance may be significantly reduced, or the entire system just crashes. But how does one check the security of our own personal devices?
First of all, the best way to manage safety is through prevention. Stopping something before it happens, being practice instead of reactive. One the damage is done, it is usually going to take ignorantly more time and money to handle it. Using antivirus protection and antispyware software is a good first step to take. With these added safety precautions, it is also important to make sure the software/hardware that we are using, we are double checking that they are the most up to date current versions. It wouldn’t be very beneficial to have programs installed but neglect to update them, it would be counterproductive. Regularly back up files somewhere or multiple places in case something were to happen. Another way to check the security of your system or using different tolls to evaluate how vulnerable your operation system may be. It would seem to be common sense to not just click on the first link that says something like “click here to test your computer!!!!” followed by a bunch of flashing arrows, multiple pop up boxes appearing, and bright colors on the screen. Do the research to figure out what system would be the best fit and legit. It is possible to have these programs run tests on your computer to figure out where there are leaks or breaking points.
More options to consider is testing computer settings. They should be able to check under use account passwords and alert you if there are weak/disabled passwords. With the technology today, a lot of web browsers or account allow you to save a password, so you never have to re=enter them, it’s like an automatic log in. This is useful, but dangerous. Sure, it is a personal device, but anything could happen, and someone could steal your phone and now they have access to all your accounts. Essentially it just comes down to double checking everything on your computer: plug-ins, auto enter information, updating programs and software for the most current versions and etc.