Malware Protection Made Simple

One of the most common issues we find in our day-to-day repair work is the discovery of malware on a customer's PC or laptop. Malware (short for malicious software) is a software specifically designed to damage, incapacitate or otherwise ruin computers and their systems. Malware can include viruses, worms, ransomware, spyware, adware and other annoying (and often expensive) programs. The easiest way to infect your computer with malware is by downloading suspicious or unknown content, such as images or files, but it can also find its way onto your computer by visiting certain websites that contain it. Once downloaded, the computer can begin exhibiting many symptoms of infection including, but not limited to, sluggish response, freezing, unwanted popups and more.

For many, this becomes a mild inconvenience resulting in a trip to our shop for a cleanup or minor repair. For others, especially those unlucky enough to have been infected by ransomware, it can be incredibly costly to retrieve your data from the person or persons who now hold your data hostage.

So how do you protect yourself and your computer from Malware?

 

Exercise Caution When You Click

First and foremost, education is important with the ever-evolving tech and internet industry. Don't click unverified links, don't download files in an unverified email you've received, don't click that popup no matter how enticing it might be. Though it might seem paranoid, always consider the fact that anyone or anything on the other side of your computer screen is doing all they can to obtain your personal information and gain access over your computer.

The old adage of "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" rings accurate when it comes to the internet, as most malware have become personalized enough that they can even appear to be friends or family. Double and triple-checking can save you a whole lot of hassle.

Long story short: if you don't know where it came from, don't click it. Educate yourself on what types of websites to avoid, what things not to click, and you'll be on your way to protecting yourself from any adverse malware affects and infections.

 

Malwarebytes: MCW Approved!

Waste no time in getting an approved anti-virus/anti-malware software on your computer. Seriously. Don't wait.

Here at Mobile Computer Wizard, we partner with Malwarebytes to come to the rescue and assist us with infected machines, as well as preventing any further infections once a healed computer leaves our shop. Malwarebytes is a layered system that provides malware detection, specialized ransomware protection, and security. Downloading the free version to your computer gives you scanning and removal ability of malware right at your fingertips. They also provide a paid premium program that handles virusware, rootkits, anti-exploits, scheduled scans and more.

If you want to take it ten steps farther, sign up for the Cloud-based Endpoint Protection, which includes everything that is in the Malwarebytes paid premium version, but has a managed services back-end. This allows Mobile Computer Wizard to remotely respond to any threats on your machine, for just $39.99/year. That's just $3/day!

Virtually every machine that comes to our shop leaves with Malwarebytes installed, because we trust it on our own computers, business and personal. 

Call or email us at (858) 345-0382 or support@mobilecomputerwizard.com if you have any questions about Malware, Malwarebytes, or the services that Mobile Computer Wizard provides. We're here to help!