How to Make Sure You Don’t Fall Victim to the Newest Malware

Featured article by Irene Chen, Head Editor for Content Geek

Malware is evolving every day. As technology becomes more advanced, hackers and scammers follow those advancements to try and create the most cunning malware options. If you want to avoid ending up with malware on your devices, your best move will always be to stay out in front of it. But how can you do that, especially if you’re not already extremely tech-savvy? It’s simple: you can take these tips to make sure you stay up-to-date on new malware.

1. Stay Connected to Experts

Getting information from experts will always be the best option if you’re not an expert in cybersecurity yourself. After all, these are the people who know best about cybersecurity. Experts will be able to connect you to the best information as quickly as possible, which is essential when you’re dealing with malware.

There are plenty of places where you can find expert information about malware and other cybersecurity threats online. Your best bet is actually to follow a number of these sources, not just one; different experts may have different sources of information, giving you the best chance at avoiding malware.

2. Get Updates Sent to Your Email Inbox

Although it’s nice to have a variety of sources you can draw on when it comes to cybersecurity, you don’t necessarily want to add half an hour to your morning routine so you can check all those sources. Luckily for you, most places allow you to join an email newsletter and get automatic updates sent to your email inbox.

This is a great way to get the highlights without having to read through everything at once. If this newsletter is well-organized, you can make sure that you see all the biggest headlines of the day or week, click on any that look extremely urgent, and get the basics on the rest.

3. Follow General Internet Safety Guidelines

Overall, it’s always important to follow the general safety guidelines that you should be using across the internet. Don’t ever download a file that you didn’t intentionally start a download for, and make sure that you only download files you’re confident about. That’s the broadest way to get malware on your computer.

This is a general part of cybersecurity as well, and even if it’s not to avoid malware, you should follow all of the tips you probably know by now. Try to use extremely strong passwords across all websites. Don’t reuse passwords, especially when it comes to sensitive information. With this security-first thinking, you can keep yourself safe on all axes, not just when it comes to malware.

4. Pay Attention to Your Own Information

The best way to know if your information has been leaked is to stay up to date with it. You can’t take steps to protect yourself if you don’t even know that you’re in danger. Consider using a people search to make sure that you know if your information is out there, even if you don’t know it yet.

Remember, knowing whether your information is floating around out there ripe for the taking will help make sure that you shut it down as soon as possible. You want to get your personal information off the internet now, so you can mitigate the damage, rather than in a few years when you have to fix your credit report due to identity theft. Manage your own information now to make sure you stay safe in the future.

Conclusion

Looking out for yourself in the present also means looking out for yourself in the future. In the age of technology, where computers are evolving faster and faster, you’re going to soon find that both attacks and defenses are more powerful than ever. If you pay attention to these simple tips and stay up to date on new malware before it impacts you, you’ll be able to stay on the defense without suffering through an attack.

Author Bio:

Irene Chen is the head editor for Content Geek, which showcases interesting, inspirational, and thought-provoking content. ContentGeek.com publishes infographics and articles across a wide range of topics, sourced from a community of designers, writers, and creators.