Years ago, Internet was introduced by the great minds in the field of technology. It was seen as a way to transform the way human-being thinks, eats and lives. It has been successful in doing it, so far. But, as everything comes with its own good and bad, rise of Internet gave rise to a superiorly Devil Thing: the virus. Last night, I read this: “A new couple bought Internet connection to rejuvenate them on weekend, and ended up losing a thousand dollar to an online scam”. Just a small infraction into your PC and everything is over! But you can avoid it now, thanks to the superior software’s and prevention guides available. Here are some common, but most ignored tips on how not to become a perfect target for the hackers, who try to steal your personal data.

Using two safety programs is not a good idea

Is that virus stronger than your anti-malware program? Why not use two of them then! That’s what most of us think like. But it’s never a good idea. Installing two anti-viruses disturb their mutual functioning and neither of them works. Consider using a firewall (an excellent method to stop malicious software’s) and good antivirus programs like Norton and Carbonite.

Opening Your Spam Mail Folder? – Think Twice

Spam emails chew up our valuable time. And when we go unsubscribe them, we rather end up providing them an open-gateway to all our private information. By clicking on the unsubscribe button, we authorise the validity of our email address. To cap it all, we ease the whole process for spammers. It is also advisable not to reply to a spam email. Just empty your Spam Folder or use a good firewall against the Spam emails.

Don’t fall prey to obvious tricks

While chatting with my best friend, I suddenly got this message: “Nice pic, Is it yours?’’, followed by a link. When I clicked on it, it led me to nowhere. It was simply a virus, but I could not notice it at first place. Similarly, never miss noticing the url in your browser. It may be just a virus, and you may end up repenting later. Once you point on the url, your status bar will tell you the complete story of the destination. Even a single click on a hyperlink like online coupon code can prove dangerous.

Hackers are Experts in Spotting Patterns

Online thieves are good at observing patterns of your keyboard. That’s why, it is mandatory to use virtual keyboard. As you move your fingers on the keyboard, every click leaves a temporary patch that can be traced by the spammer to know your online banking password or credit card information. Online storage of your confidential details like credit card and bank info must be avoided.

Come out of Same-Password Comfort Zone

Keeping similar password for all you Gmail, Ymail and Blogger account is an easy way to remember them all. But it is a open invitation for a hacker to hack all of them at once. Moreover, never assign same names to your email Ids. If you are a website-owner, always keep an online back-up of your web-data, as anytime you may lose it pertaining to virus attacks. Several e-books on internet security are available at negligible costs with offer code and discount coupon. Consider going for them to ensure maximum PC protection.

Irfan Siddiqui is the author of this article. He has written several articles for techwench.com. He also writes for epc4less.com a site that offers energy performance certificates to homeowners and landlords in Belfast and Northern Ireland.