COVID-19 isn’t the only virus to fear.  Terror strikes in the heart of computer owners for fear of their computer getting a virus and their systems become corrupted.

Now that we are working from home and local resources such as the Geek Squad are not readily available, it’s a good idea to take steps to ensure your computers stay healthy and virus/malware free.

Whether you are on a Mac or PC system, the first line of defense is installing an anti-virus program. There many to choose from with differing price levels. I’d recommend a product that has both virus and malware protection combined and which offers a free version to try it out. My favorite is Malwarebytes, priced reasonably and provides good coverage for Macs and PCs. Other good alternatives are AVAST, AVIRA, BitDefender, and McAfee.

TIP #1: the only difference between a free version of software and the paid version is usually the scheduling & real-time scanning. A free version will require you, the user, to begin a scan. The paid version will run in the background and scan continuously.

TIP #2: if your computer has a pop-up that says you have a virus (like the image above), NEVER call this number. This is a scam where they want to remotely connect to your computer, find 100’s of viruses on it, and ask you to pay them to remove it. Many times if you see this pop-up, simply turn off your computer & when you turn it back on, it will have vanished.

If you find yourself in need of advice, please give me a call at 512-825-7767 or email me at [email protected]. I am here to assist.

I hope you stay safe and healthy during this crisis.

 

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