How To Protect Your Computer From Malware/Viruses/Adware
By: Greenman1

Have you ever heard that a Mac (and a PC running Linux) can't get a virus? There are some viruses for Mac but most viruses are for Windows. Why? Because majority of computer users have Windows installed and a lot of people who are new to computers start with Windows. This is why you want to protect your Windows PC from viruses. This guide will help you protect your PC from bad software.

Protecting Chrome
Do you still use Internet Explorer? Don't use it! It is a very outdated browser and you want to use a modern browser. I recommend Chrome or Firefox over Microsoft Edge because of the extensions. This is going to be showing you how to protect Chrome.

When you open a new tab is the search engine a trusted search engine (this includes Google,Bing,Yahoo,DuckDuckGo etc.)? Even if the page looks like a trusted search engine check the URL! Look up the real link for the search engine and see if it matches. If it doesn't you need to remove it! To remove a fake or bad search engine:

1. Click the ... in the top right corner to open the Chrome menu
2. Choose Settings (if a virus redirects you type in the address bar chrome://settings)
3. Search for Search Engine and click Manage Search Engines
4. Delete any fake search engines from the default
5. Go back and search for On startup
6. If the Open a specific page or set of pages is on delete all the bad pages
7. Go back and search for Protect
8. Find the Protect you and your device from dangerous sites and Send a "Do Not Track" request with your browsing traffic switches and make sure they're on

Now try restarting Chrome and it should be fixed (if not it's a virus on your PC). Another thing you want is an AdBlocker. This will block ads but some blockers also prevent adware on hacked sites.
I recommend any of these Chrome extenstions:

• uBlock Origin (by Raymond Hill)
• Adguard AdBlocker (by adguard.com)
• Poper Blocker (by poperblocker.com)

I also recommend HTTPS Anywhere (by eff.org). This extenstion will use the https:// (secure) version of a site automatically if it supports it.

Uninstall Programs
Some "viruses" are just programs that come pre-installed when you get your PC. This is called bloatware. Some viruses can act like bloatware and be easily removed. If you used an installer to get the program then here's how to remove unwanted programs.

1. Press Windows Key+R and in the Run box type Control Panel
2. Click on Uninstall a program under Programs in Control Panel
3. Click on a piece of software to select it and click Uninstall to uninstall it

Free Anti-Malware/Anti-Virus
A good final step is to install an anti-virus and anti-malware program. The difference between the two is that anti-virus protects you against past viruses while anti-malware protects you against current viruses. Some good free anti-virus software is:

• Avast
• Bitdefender (Free Edition)
• Avira

Windows Defender is an okay anti-virus but I would recommend one on the list. Malwarebytes (Free Edition) is also good and it's not on this list because it's anti-malware software. Malwarebytes won't protect you in real time but if you think you have malware already on your pc, run a scan, and it detects malware, it will do a good job of cleaning out the malware. If you get the Premium edition of Malwarebytes you will get web and real time protection.

False Positives
A false positive is when a program that isn't malware or a virus is detected as one. This usually happens to hacking/cheating tools like Cheat Engine. Luckily you can add exclusions in your anti-virus and anti-malware software so you can run these programs while still being protected.

Conclusion
Even with all of this protection one of the best things you can do is use common sense! If you see an ad like that says "Play Cuphead for free!" you know that Cuphead isn't a free game so you shouldn't click it. If you are unsure about a download I would put the download link through VirusTotal.

 

[Elrinth]

One minor thing to note is that Antivirus programs gives one or a few extra read To The hdd/ssd. So having a antivirus program Will shorten your storage medium lifespan.

Another Thing is that actually being able To use the file after having downloaded it takes a little longer.

But one thing which I really really Think OP needs To include is modifying the hosts file.
Someonewhocares.org provides a great starter. Youll need To modify it slightly as you keep surfing and notice maybe some jump ad being blocked. But it's a superb way of blocking sites with malicious content.

 

[Sathya]

I honestly wouldn't say AVG is a good free antivirus, definitely stick with either Avast or Avira. I would also strongly recommend using uBlock Origin over AdBlock Plus as it doesn't eat up as much memory as ABP and it also warns if you're entering a crapware site or being redirected to a scam site.

Use malwarebytes. its the best antivirus.

 

[MasterControl90]

Simple. Run linux in a virtual machine. Lock it down with no networking sharing or folder sharing and your good. Make a copy of the virtual Hdd file encase it messes up and your good.

Virtualization is a great and magical thing, although newbies will find hard to set up and even understand one... Frankly what we need is a list of how to prevent infections, like a whole study course about scammy advertising and software, how to recognize bad emails and external drives usage (like scanning everything before even open an image from a friend pendrive). I mean common sense + awareness about the dangers can really makes the difference.

 

[Sarvesh50]

Combine Eset internet security with Malwarebytes anti-malware. Also use Chrome with Adblockers like 2 of them so 1 of them might block what the other can't.
And for free security i guess Comodo does a good job.

 

[Tomobobo]

I feel like recently that web browsers are ignoring the hosts file, especially chrome. Ublock Origins is an amazing plugin. In 20 years of computering I've learned that all anti-virus programs are basically useless. It doesn't matter if you load up 100 AV programs, if you want the porn.mpg you're going to download it no matter how many programs pop up to tell you it's a virus. It's a lifestyle that you learn. You get burned, you learn your lesson, format the OS and get a little smarter.

Now the problem is the damn advertising snakes in the grass that are everywhere. I don't understand why people use Chrome at all. Google is just sitting there gathering all your info and you willingly give it up. When I was a kid the adults warned me not to be using real info online, but now everyone posts what and where they are eating, their sexual preferences, job history, phone number and address.

 

[MasterControl90]

I feel like recently that web browsers are ignoring the hosts file, especially chrome. Ublock Origins is an amazing plugin. In 20 years of computering I've learned that all anti-virus programs are basically useless. It doesn't matter if you load up 100 AV programs, if you want the porn.mpg you're going to download it no matter how many programs pop up to tell you it's a virus. It's a lifestyle that you learn. You get burned, you learn your lesson, format the OS and get a little smarter.

Now the problem is the damn advertising snakes in the grass that are everywhere. I don't understand why people use Chrome at all. Google is just sitting there gathering all your info and you willingly give it up. When I was a kid the adults warned me not to be using real info online, but now everyone posts what and where they are eating, their sexual preferences, job history, phone number and address.

I don't want to be the devil advocate but Google will block any aggressive advertising in a future chrome version this year, in particular redirecting ones and videos.

 

[Tomobobo]

I don't want to be the devil advocate but Google will block any aggressive advertising in a future chrome version this year, in particular redirecting ones and videos.

Sweet, cherry picked ads from google then! Hey, they even have a huge backlog of info to pull from to get the spiciest ads directly to your face, none of those silly "aggressive" ads, just wholesome google advertising solutions.

 

[MasterControl90]

Sweet, cherry picked ads from google then! Hey, they even have a huge backlog of info to pull from to get the spiciest ads directly to your face, none of those silly "aggressive" ads, just wholesome google advertising solutions.

It includes Adsense too, everything aggressive will not permitted so Adsense ads will no more cause automatic redirects

 

[Jokey_Carrot]

How To Protect Your Computer From Malware/Viruses/Adware
By: Greenman1

Have you ever heard that a Mac (and a PC running Linux) can't get a virus? There are some viruses for Mac but most viruses are for Windows. Why? Because majority of computer users have Windows installed and a lot of people who are new to computers start with Windows. This is why you want to protect your Windows PC from viruses. This guide will help you protect your PC from bad software.

Protecting Chrome
Do you still use Internet Explorer? Don't use it! It is a very outdated browser and you want to use a modern browser. I recommend Chrome or Firefox over Microsoft Edge because of the extensions. This is going to be showing you how to protect Chrome.

When you open a new tab is the search engine a trusted search engine (this includes Google,Bing,Yahoo,DuckDuckGo etc.)? Even if the page looks like a trusted search engine check the URL! Look up the real link for the search engine and see if it matches. If it doesn't you need to remove it! To remove a fake or bad search engine:

1. Click the ... in the top right corner to open the Chrome menu
2. Choose Settings (if a virus redirects you type in the address bar chrome://settings)
3. Search for Search Engine and click Manage Search Engines
4. Delete any fake search engines from the default
5. Go back and search for On startup
6. If the Open a specific page or set of pages is on delete all the bad pages
7. Go back and search for Protect
8. Find the Protect you and your device from dangerous sites and Send a "Do Not Track" request with your browsing traffic switches and make sure they're on

Now try restarting Chrome and it should be fixed (if not it's a virus on your PC). Another thing you want is an AdBlocker. This will block ads but some blockers also prevent adware on hacked sites.
I recommend any of these Chrome extenstions:

• uBlock Origin (by Raymond Hill)
• Adguard AdBlocker (by adguard.com)
• Poper Blocker (by poperblocker.com)

I also recommend HTTPS Anywhere (by eff.org). This extenstion will use the https:// (secure) version of a site automatically if it supports it.

Uninstall Programs
Some "viruses" are just programs that come pre-installed when you get your PC. This is called bloatware. Some viruses can act like bloatware and be easily removed. If you used an installer to get the program then here's how to remove unwanted programs.

1. Press Windows Key+R and in the Run box type Control Panel
2. Click on Uninstall a program under Programs in Control Panel
3. Click on a piece of software to select it and click Uninstall to uninstall it

Free Anti-Malware/Anti-Virus
A good final step is to install an anti-virus and anti-malware program. The difference between the two is that anti-virus protects you against past viruses while anti-malware protects you against current viruses. Some good free anti-virus software is:

• Avast
• Bitdefender (Free Edition)
• Avira

Windows Defender is an okay anti-virus but I would recommend one on the list. Malwarebytes (Free Edition) is also good and it's not on this list because it's anti-malware software. Malwarebytes won't protect you in real time but if you think you have malware already on your pc, run a scan, and it detects malware, it will do a good job of cleaning out the malware. If you get the Premium edition of Malwarebytes you will get web and real time protection.

False Positives
A false positive is when a program that isn't malware or a virus is detected as one. This usually happens to hacking/cheating tools like Cheat Engine. Luckily you can add exclusions in your anti-virus and anti-malware software so you can run these programs while still being protected.

Conclusion
Even with all of this protection one of the best things you can do is use common sense! If you see an ad like that says "Play Cuphead for free!" you know that Cuphead isn't a free game so you shouldn't click it. If you are unsure about a download I would put the download link through VirusTotal.

This is a nice guide if you want all your pc to sound like a jet engine all the time.

 

[air2004]

Adguard is the best blocker around. I've been using the paid version on my computer phones and tablets for years. I bought a lifetime licence for each one.

 

[pustal]

How To Protect Your Computer From Malware/Viruses/Adware
By: Greenman1

Have you ever heard that a Mac (and a PC running Linux) can't get a virus? There are some viruses for Mac but most viruses are for Windows. Why? Because majority of computer users have Windows installed and a lot of people who are new to computers start with Windows. This is why you want to protect your Windows PC from viruses.

Mostly because Windows has the biggest end-user base, and developing malware is more cost-effective.

I recommend Chrome or Firefox over Microsoft Edge because of the extensions.

Edge also now supports extensions.

When you open a new tab is the search engine a trusted search engine (this includes Google,Bing,Yahoo,DuckDuckGo etc.)? Even if the page looks like a trusted search engine check the URL! Look up the real link for the search engine and see if it matches. If it doesn't you need to remove it! To remove a fake or bad search engine:

1. Click the ... in the top right corner to open the Chrome menu
2. Choose Settings (if a virus redirects you type in the address bar chrome://settings)
3. Search for Search Engine and click Manage Search Engines
4. Delete any fake search engines from the default
5. Go back and search for On startup
6. If the Open a specific page or set of pages is on delete all the bad pages
7. Go back and search for Protect
8. Find the Protect you and your device from dangerous sites and Send a "Do Not Track" request with your browsing traffic switches and make sure they're on

Modern hijackers are a little more complicated to deal with that. They mess up with registry and other OS or browser components. Most can be dealt with tools such as ADWCleaner or a good anti-virus,

There are plenty other stuff to care about, like keeping up to date with BIOS and chipset drivers that patch vulnerabilities, keep the OS up to date (and if you use a third party antivirus, keep the listings and the software updated), etc.

To help navigate through social engineering traps, there are stuff that can help you too like Web Of Trust.

 

[Captain_N]

I Use Microsoft's System Center 2012 Enterprise Virus protection. It has done me good and it never expires and never needs to be activated and has no serial key... I primarily use windows 7 and not 10. I have gone to many unsafe sites and it has worked really well. I use it on my servers as well.

 

[KevinLSX]

Malware bytes helped me the other day. Its free too

 

[Captain_N]

One minor thing to note is that Antivirus programs gives one or a few extra read To The hdd/ssd. So having a antivirus program Will shorten your storage medium lifespan.

Another Thing is that actually being able To use the file after having downloaded it takes a little longer.

But one thing which I really really Think OP needs To include is modifying the hosts file.
Someonewhocares.org provides a great starter. Youll need To modify it slightly as you keep surfing and notice maybe some jump ad being blocked. But it's a superb way of blocking sites with malicious content.

Modifying the hosts file is whats up. i have got quite a list in mine as i add sites to block by looking at the html code. I can upload it if anyone wants it. It dont block everything but it blocks alot of stuff on torrent sites and free streaming sites.

 

[appeltje_eitje]

Malware bytes helped me the other day. Its free too

Im using it now (470 problems deleted).. i hope the laptop will be good now ???

 

[appeltje_eitje]

Still getting the microsoft edge virus warning.. don`t know what to do to get rid off it???

 

[Metal64]

How do you get Windows Updates then?

Windows Updates are a scam