Coronavirus Vs Computer Virus | Antivirus Software

To counter cybercrime, HD Latin America recommends installing a firewall. Faced with COVID-19, he advises to stay at home and take action against online threats.

They are both viruses!

The definition of the word is simple. In the biological field, it is a microorganism composed of genetic material protected by a protein envelope that causes various diseases by introducing itself as a parasite into a cell to reproduce in it.

In the computer field, it is a computer program made in anonymity that has the ability to reproduce and be transmitted independently of the will of the operator and that causes more or less serious alterations in the operation of the computer.

At first glance and brief analysis of the previous reading, anyone would say that they are similar and personally I see that they are identical. The first similarity is that both enter the body and the computer without permission, thus taking advantage of the vulnerabilities of both.

In the case of living organisms, they detect that the body is weak in its defenses, and in the case of computers they take advantage of flaws in the programming of the codes; both propagate and reproduce within the attacked system and progress if there is no resistance, and in both scenarios, the objective is the same: to seize the living organism and the computer or file server in question. But the most important thing about the case is that both contain information that is data that directs them towards their objective, information that gives them a pattern of behavior ... data ... data and more data, that is, very prevalent if it is not a reality that both have the same origin: a superior or at least outstanding intelligence.

Protect yourself as if you were a computer, yes, even if it sounds ridiculous or weird, this will save your life or a family member and, above all, I know the new generations will understand it easier and easier because they were already born immersed in technology and depend on her for almost everything.

How to Protect Yourself if You Were a Computer?

Let's just see, what is done with a computer, the first thing ... pause ... you answer, what is the first thing that is done with a computer before launching it into cyberspace? The same as a baby is thrown (metaphorically) into the polluted and different environment of its placental bag. Yes, he thought about it, an antivirus is installed, but in our unfortunate case, that coronavirus vaccine does not exist yet!

Did you know that the same thing happens when a new virus appears in the computer field? If there is no vaccine, the sample is sent to the laboratories and there are dozens of code specialists who will guess if they analyze, they think, analyze ... and make prototypes that will fight the new virus, identical to what Chinese, Korean, and German scientists are doing. … The entire scientific community because there is no vaccine against this terrible virus called COVID-19, more commonly called coronavirus.

Once Contextualized, Let's Go-to Protection:

Did you know that more than a system deficiency, it is human failure that causes computers to become infected and lose a lot of money and data? This is how you read it in computer science. Let's talk about Mario, who has his savings account at Banco Azteca and suddenly he gets a notice from Banorte and what do you think he's doing? This is how you thought it badly! Mario opens it and then thinks ah ... but if I don't have an account in that bank and in a little voice he tells him (maybe you don't remember anymore) ... the reality is that Mario has never had an account in Banorte in his life and now, By now he is infected with a low-end virus at best and ransomware at worst.

Let's learn the computer lesson: if you do not know the person who is next to you, do not greet him, it is more or turn to see him, capable and with a glance, he fills you with viruses (I exaggerated), but it is reality, this virus does not give indications which is, but the carrier is already spreading it like a piñata in an inn all around and that's not all, the new carriers do the same in a chain as if they were nuclear fission. To end this analogy we would say: if it is not you, do not touch it and if it is not your bank, do not open it.

The coronavirus, being so tiny, today has the entire planet in check and neither powerful nor artists, nobody is safe unless they take a healthy distance from the possible sources of infection that are our fellow men; Since like computer viruses when you realize it is that you already have it and in that context what we do in computing is to install a firewall that does not allow the virus to enter, in this case, dear reader the firewall is your house and home It is the safest site in the world because viruses are lurking and at the moment there is no antivirus, but surely there will be.

What is a Computer Virus and How to Remove It | Free Antivirus

A virus is a type of malware - a harmful program created by hackers that can infect your computer or device in various ways. They can be really difficult to remove and can spread from one device to another. Fortunately, we can take some steps to protect your devices, and we have some suggestions on how to remove a virus.

How does a computer virus work? Programmers are the ones who write a virus to place, overwrite, or replace another program on your computer to reproduce itself without your knowing it.

A virus can cause various problems on an infected device. This can quickly consume all of your computer's available memory, slowing or stopping your system. Viruses can damage data, destroy files, format hard drives, or make drives unreadable. A virus can enter your computer as an email attachment, in a downloaded file, or hidden on a zip drive or CD. In general, the presence of a virus is not evident on a website, in an email, or in another item.

Common Symptoms of Computer Viruses

Your computer may have a virus if you have any of these problems:

• Suspension or blocking
• Lost or damaged files
• Problems saving files
• The computer restarts unexpectedly
• Programs open randomly
• Task manager won't open
• Constant pop-up boxes
• Much more spam than usual in email
• Windows updates won't install
• Cannot open files and folders
• Passwords changed
• Problems installing new software
• Considerable slowness in switching on and/or off
• Unexpected errors such as low memory and missing system files
• Hardware issues such as an unresponsive keyboard or printer

How to Avoid Having a Computer Virus?

We have some precautions you can take to take care of your devices:

Install a recognized antivirus. Even if you don't take any other preventive measures, using antivirus will offer your devices basic protection and monitoring against viruses. This ensures that if you do become infected, you will be warned quickly and can address the problem before the virus has a chance to do irreparable damage to your computer. All CenturyLink High-Speed ​​Internet customers can download Protegent Free Antivirus at no additional charge. Learn more about Protegent360. 

Keep your virus definitions up to date. To be effective, antivirus software must be kept up to date. It is important that you download the latest virus definitions when your antivirus software tells you to. You can automate this task so you don't forget to run it. Protegent360 security is cloud protection that offers continuous updates and monitoring, so you don't have to worry about updates.

Run your antivirus software routinely. Again, if you find this to be heavy (or just forget to do it), you can automate the task.

Be proactive. Analyze your files and programs. You can configure your antivirus software to automatically scan emails and files before opening / downloading them. It's good to scan ALL files, even if you trust the source.

Make backup copies of your files frequently. New malware is created daily. Having a backup of your data can save you if a virus bypasses your protection measures.

Keep your programs and operating system updated. This may seem like a challenge, but updates are essential to keep your computer virus-free. Updates often include patches to fix security vulnerabilities that could be exploited, and if you don't update your software, you could miss the latest update. You can also automate this task in your computer settings.

Protect your WiFi network. Enabling a WPA password on your home Wi-Fi will help prevent unwanted users from entering your wireless network. If you need to provide the Internet to friends, most routers allow you to set up a guest network that allows them to use the Internet without giving them access to your main network, thus protecting you from potentially infected devices. Certain CenturyLink leased modems also offer Secure WiFi, which has Prortegent360 built-in.

How to Remove a Computer Virus

If you think your device is infected, the first step is to run a full antivirus scan. 

If you use CenturyLink Security powered by Protegent360, there is no need to do anything else. The program runs continuously and automatically quarantines any threats it detects.

If your antivirus cannot remove the virus, these are the steps you should follow:

Try doing an online search to find out how to remove the virus. You are likely to get the most accurate results if you know the name or source of the virus you suspect or can describe the specific symptoms.

Call a professional. If you can't find a solution online, call an IT professional right away, before it gets worse.

How to Avoid Computer Viruses | Antivirus

In 2017, the "WannaCry" computer virus put the world's big companies in check and shook home users around the world. He was taking advantage of a weakness in Windows to carry out an attack that rendered devices unusable and demanded large sums of money in exchange for their release. The fact, of course, was known all over the planet and called into question the security systems in the network.

Computer viruses have been present in our lives for decades. Despite this, there are many occasions in which false alarms are created about its circulation on the network. It is true that there will always be a risk, but you have to work hard to end the famous hoaxes.

The origin of the computer virus dates back to 1972. Then, it attacked the Tenex operating system, present in American computers that were used for research and education. His name was " Creeper " and he was created, without malicious intent, by an engineer named Bob Thomas. The virus circulated on the Internet always sending the same message: " I am the creeper, catch me if you can ."

To combat it, "Reaper" was created, considered the first antivirus in history. In the 80s the first malicious viruses emerged. Since that time, hundreds of viruses have emerged, some very aggressive. Although it is difficult to decide which has been the worst in history, many experts highlight “ Chernobyl ”. It was created in 1998 and attacked 60 million Windows and Millennium computers. It erased all the data on the devices and prevented their start-up.

Virus Classes

One of the first malicious viruses was " Rabbit ", which blocked devices. Then "Elk Cloner" appeared, which affected Apple, and "Brain", on IBM computers. From here, a list of computer viruses was created:

• Residents They are in the memory of the computer and alter files as they are selected or closed.
• Direct action. They are installed in the root directory of the hard drive and attack when a program is run.
• Of overwrite. We found them in the archives. They remove the contents and replace them with others.
• Located on the desktop. The famous " cluster ". They change the location of the files when we try to access them.
• Boot system virus. They attack the moment the hard drive is running.

Other Types of Secondary Viruses

• Trojans. They hide behind a harmless appearance, for example, a program, and cause hackers to take control of your computer to steal personal data. The most famous is "Zeus", which affected more than three million devices in the US. 77% of them had updated antivirus.
• Worms. It is a malware that spreads when we transfer files. It causes the system to hang and wastes bandwidth. The best known was "Morris", which in 1988 affected tens of thousands of computers that had an Internet connection.
• Spyware. Collect data from your device and transfer it to another location. One of the most dangerous is the "Skygofree", which affects smartphones and with which hackers can completely control the phone.
• Adware. It tracks your computer's memory to find out your preferences and shows you advertisements constantly.
• Browser hijackers. Control your browser and direct you to other websites.
• Email virus. They appear when you open an email. The most famous is the "I LOVE YOU" virus. In 2000, and in just five hours, it infected 10% of computers connected to the Internet at that moment, causing damage valued at 10 billion euros.
• Ransomware. They lock your device and ask for a ransom to release it.

How to Protect Ourselves From Computer Viruses?

The best thing is to install an antivirus, although we must know that the system itself has mechanisms to protect itself. This is the case of Windows Defender or Windows Security. There is also another free antivirus such as Protegent360.

They may seem like simple programs, but they are very effective at destroying Trojans, worms, or spyware. Of course, you have to be aware of new updates. In addition to antivirus, there are other options to prevent our devices from being affected:

• You have to be especially careful with social networks. Never open a file without checking its origin.
• Close the website when the browser tells you that it is not a secure site.
• Do not accept files from contacts you do not know.
• Make backup copies of your files periodically.

1. Install antivirus/malware software.

This advice may go without saying, and we mentioned it earlier. However, many computers - especially home computers - do not have virus/malware protection. This protection is an essential first step in keeping your PC virus-free.

2. Keep your antivirus software updated.

Having protection software is the first step; keeping it is the second. The free antivirus software is better than nothing, but note that it is not the best solution. Microsoft provides a "free" security package. It's free because if you have Windows on your computer, you are granted access, but you paid for your Windows license. Many users are not aware of this program, but it is actually decent protection.

3. Run regularly scheduled scans with your antivirus software.

This may also seem obvious, but many of us forget to do it. Set the software to run at regular intervals. Once a week is preferable, but don't expect much longer between each scan. It is difficult to work on the computer while antivirus software is running. One solution is to run the software at night when the computer is not being used. However, we often turn off our computers at night, so the scan never runs. Set your antivirus software to run on a specific night and always leave your computer running on that day. Make sure it doesn't automatically shut down or go into hibernate mode.

4. Keep your operating system updated.

Whether you use Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, or any other operating system, keep it up to date. Developers of operating systems always release security patches that fix and cover security leaks. These patches will help you keep your system safe. Similarly, keep your antivirus software up to date. The virus and malware are created all the time. Your scan-software is only as good as your database. You should also be as up to date as possible.

5. Protect your network.

Many of our PCs connect to our files, printers, or the Internet through a Wi-Fi connection. Make sure it requires a password to access it and that the password is secure. Never browse an open Wi-Fi connection.

Use WPA or WPA2 encryption. PME is no longer strong enough, as experts can avoid it in a matter of minutes. It is also a good idea not to broadcast your SSID (the name of your Wi-Fi network). You can still access it with your device, you just have to manually enter the SSID and password. If you frequently have guests using your internet, provide a guest SSID that uses a different password, just in case your friends are evil hackers.

6. Think before you click.

Avoid websites that you don't trust. Don't open an email attachment from someone or a company you don't know. Don't click a link in an unsolicited email. Always hover your mouse over a link (especially one with a URL shortener) before clicking to see where the link actually takes you.

If you need to download a file from the Internet, email, FTP site, file-sharing service, etc., please analyze it before running. Good antivirus software will do it automatically, but make sure it's being done.

7. Keep your personal information safe.

This is probably the hardest thing to do on the internet. Many hackers will access your files not by brute force, but through social engineering. They will get enough information to access your accounts online and collect more of your personal data.

They will continue from account to account until they have enough information to allow them to access your bank details or simply steal your identity. Be careful with message boards and social media. Lock all your privacy settings and avoid using your real name or identity in the discussion forums.

8. Don't use open Wi-Fi.

When in the cafeteria, the library, and especially at the airport, do not use the open Wi-Fi “free” (no password, no encryption). Think about it. If you can access it without problems, what can a hacker do?

9. Make a backup of your files.

The best thing you can do is back up your files, all of them. Ideally, you should have your files (your data) in at least three places: where you work on them, on a separate storage device, and off-site.

Keep your files on your computer, back it up to an external hard drive, then back it up to a different location. You can use a backup service or just get two external hard drives and keep one at work, at a friend's house, at a family member's house, or in a safe deposit box.

10. Use several strong passwords.

Never use the same password, especially on your bank account. We typically use the same email address or username for all of our accounts. They are easy to see and steal. If you use the same password for everything or many things, and it is discovered, then it will only take a few seconds to hack into an account. Use a strong password. Please use lower case, upper case, numbers, and symbols in your password. Keep it easy to remember but hard to guess. Don't use dates or pet names.

False Legends About Computer Viruses

They come in by email. It is one of the ways, but not the only one. Also online, on social networks ...

My computer is slow ... it has a virus! No. I may have it, but your device may get stuck for other reasons such as lack of system maintenance, hard drive failure ...

If my screen turns blue, I have a virus. The blue screen is usually caused by bad software, not viruses.

Porn sites have viruses. Every timeless. The porn industry now moves a lot of money and they have increasingly greater security systems.

Cloud Antivirus Versus Traditional Antivirus

Cloud Antivirus Vs. Traditional Antivirus

When we talk about cloud antivirus or cloud antivirus, many people may have certain doubts regarding their operation and if they are a good solution to protect their data. Reality shows once again that antivirus in the cloud has established themselves as a way to protect our data more and more secure, often serving as redundancy for our antivirus PC, or even an alternative.

What are the advantages of antivirus in the cloud compared to other software solutions to install on our desktop? Is a program in the cloud safer than a computer antivirus? Let's enter this interesting debate with some compelling reasons.

Cloud Antivirus Versus Traditional Antivirus

To clarify the concept, antivirus as a service is installed on a remote server, but thanks to our Internet connection it protects all our equipment, as well as our activity when browsing online. Panda Cloud, Bit Defender, and Protegent360 have developed cloud solutions for companies that are very useful when it comes to protecting multiple terminals in a company.

On the other hand, the traditional antivirus is the one we all know; You download it, install it on your computer and it starts working.

It must be said in favor of cloud antivirus that allows you to make your computer not go so slow. They free up your CPU from antivirus activity, and you don't have to constantly install updates. If you have the problem that the antivirus slows down your computer a lot, the best solution is to have your antivirus hosted on an external server.

Cloud antivirus is the most appropriate option to protect your email and all the online programs you use, although most cloud management software already has the necessary security systems on their servers. In addition, following good practices in online security, such as setting difficult passwords and avoiding downloading suspicious files and programs from unknown manufacturers.

Proponents of traditional antivirus believe that the danger of cloud antivirus software is that if malware affects your Internet connection, your computer will be left unprotected. However, it must be remembered that the vast majority of computer viruses enter through the Internet, so the cloud antivirus would stop it before it cut the connection.

A different question is whether or not we are using a good antivirus, since the fact that it is cloud does not mean that the software will be better. However, generally, the most advanced antivirus has a cloud version and is much more modern and efficient.

The experts on online security advise combining antivirus cloud with which we installed on the computer itself, using the traditional version as a backup for the hypothetical case that the Internet connection was cut. However, it should be remembered that surfing the web responsibly and following the best computer practices is the most effective way to prevent the entry of any computer virus.

5 Reasons Why the Performance of Your PC is Very Slow.

When buying a new PC, or just after formatting it, we can see how luxurious the computer is. Everything opens fast, everything runs instantly, and is a pleasure to use. But as the months go by, it suddenly becomes harder for you to start up, it takes forever to load your desktop or use it to surf the Internet is a tedious task because of how extremely slow it goes. Is something wrong? Well yes, of course, but it can be from a virus that is annoying us to a simple problem of having the hard disk full of things. We are going to check  5 reasons why the performance of your PC is very slow and how to fix it.

Scenario 1: Reboot

We open with one of the simplest. Does the PC go to four frames per second in every action it performs? Well, save what you are doing and restart it, because with this simple action it may already work well again and the Internet goes at a decent speed. Why? Well, simply because perhaps the memory was very saturated with parallel processes, open programs, and/or heavy applications. In this way, with a simple reboot - not off and on - we erase memory, eliminate resources, and make the operating system load more optimally.

Scenario 2: Too Many Programs at Startup

On a computer, when Windows starts, a variety of programs that are necessary, such as drivers, antivirus, etc., are started along with it. But it may also start a lot of programs that we will not need - especially if the PC is a brand - or that does not have to be loaded as well. Do we need to load Steam, Adobe's manager, Nero Burning to burn discs? No, and that is why we must open the Task Manager in Windows (right-click on the Task Bar or search for it in the search bar), look for the Start tab, and start removing the ones we don't need, although be careful because you can remove some necessary driver.

Scenario 3: Hard Disk Without Free Space

One of the most common reasons for poor performance and extreme slowness of a computer may be that the poor hard disk is up to capacity, with just megabytes of free space and full of disks, series, games (installed and not installed), of programs that we use little or not, of thousands of images ... Of clicks (not to say shit) in general that does not go anywhere. Take a moment to examine everything you have downloaded and installed and what you don't use just delete it, or uninstall it and free up precious space on the HDD. If you want to keep some of everything you accumulate/have downloaded, a large-capacity external hard disk or USB will solve the problem and thus you allow the PC to breathe a little and therefore can process at a higher speed. Even a defrag would do great after lightening it.

Scenario 4: New OS, Old Equipment

Having the latest software and operating system is something that many users love. But if you have a PC with several years, without physically updating any of its components and you have put Windows 10 Anniversary in it, then it is normal that it goes slow. You can try adding more RAM, a Flash technology SSD hard drive, and a newer graphics card. Or go to Settings and reduce the part of the visual effects and transitions that Windows has activated and that make any action or operation look fluid and beautiful, but at the cost of system performance. Open the start menu, type Performance, and click where it says to adjust the appearance and performance of Windows, and there you can remove effects such as maximization - minimization of Windows windows for example.

Scenario 5: Heavy Programs

Panda, Avast, Norton, Google Chrome, are part of the so-called heavy programs since they consume a huge amount of system resources unnecessarily and therefore slow down the computer. Like everything, there are alternatives in the form of programs that consume less. Try removing Norton and installing Protegent as antivirus software, or installing Chrome and trying to navigate with the Opera Browser.

Emergency Measure: Factory Values

Have you tried this and it is still slow? If this is the case or worse, if what you have is a PC full of malware and other malicious content, the most expeditious way to solve it is to reinstall Windows, deleting everything in the process. With this, you will have a clean copy and a PC ready. Yes, it is a pain to have to reinstall all programs and make a backup, but it is better than suffering a slow PC in constant agony. Another option, if you bring it, is to return the equipment to ' Factory settings', which leaves it as if we took it out of the box again and turned it on for the first time.

10 Tips to Avoid Computer Virus Being Infected

In addition to technical vulnerabilities, the employee is often the easiest way for an attacker to access company data. The reason: uncertainty, ignorance, or convenience in daily work.

But this disadvantage can turn into an opportunity for you. You can significantly reduce the risk of attacks on your company with regular employee training. We recommend our training courses: Computer Security for Employees and Data Protection for Employees.

Don't worry, your employees don't have to be computer specialists. We will teach you the basic rules that you must use to make your company much more secure.

1. Regular Updates

First of all, you should keep the software on your computer as up-to-date as possible and regular updates will help you. It is recommended to activate the automatic software update function. Updates help eliminate potential security holes. Be aware of regular updates to your browsers and email programs.

2. Protect Your Computer With Antivirus Programs

Install an updated antivirus (We recommend complete security software.) that helps protect your computer from viruses and Trojans. Programs of this type scan your computer, manually or automatically, and report any problems that occur. There are three different types of analysis: real-time analysis, manual analysis, and online analysis:

Real-time Scanner: Runs in the background as a system service and controls all files, applications, and services. If virus protection has found something suspicious, the user is usually asked first what the next procedure should look like, so that the user has the power of decision.

Online Virus Scanners: Online scanners check files or the entire computer over the Internet. This works without installation and usually without registration. However, the software does not protect the computer from new infections, it only detects existing threats during the scan.

Manual Scanners: The special feature is the manual scanner setup. The user must initiate each scan by himself. If a dangerous program is found, the program displays possible solutions to neutralize it.

It must be determined in advance that the antivirus scanner is running permanently so that malicious programs can be detected at an early stage. So-called full scans are also recommended, which completely scan the computer.

Antivirus programs should be mandatory for everyone, as this dramatically increases the overall security of the computer.

3. Beware of Unknown Data Sources!

Unknown data sources include, for example, USB sticks or external hard drives. These appear to be safe at first glance but may contain malware or virus-contaminated files. Connecting a USB device may be enough to infect the computer without any signs.

Tip: Do not connect any foreign device to your computer, as you never know what may be in it. You should also not lend your devices to strangers, as a virus transmission is possible.

4. Caution With Unknown Files on the Internet

As the most important means of communication, e-mail presents a particularly high risk when it comes to phishing: therefore, you should check e-mails with archives. attachments in particular, as the malware could hide there.

You must not open email attachments from unknown senders!

You can use an antivirus program to check email attachments so that you are safe. In addition, you can opt for various types of email encryption to prevent potential virus attacks by malware. To be effectively protected, email messages must encrypt stored correspondence records and the connection to your email provider.

5. Be Careful When Installing New Software

It is very likely that everyone who surfs the Internet has already installed some software. Also in this case it must be checked beforehand whether and to what extent the source is reputable. Because when you download software onto your computer, malware can be an unwanted guest.

6. Regular Backups

Despite all security precautions, your computer may have been infected with Trojans or other malicious programs. As a result, the data is no longer accessible in the worst case.

In short: Everything is erased or can no longer be recovered. Therefore, we recommend regular backups to external storage media so that photos, videos, and documents can be stored independently of the computer.

7. Browser Security: Use Updates!

Outdated browsers are the number one target for malicious hacker attacks. You can also use different browsers for different services. This has the advantage that all plug-ins, extensions, and cookies can be disabled in a browser, as they are particularly vulnerable.

As a result, you will no longer be able to bank or shop online there, but you will be more secure on supposedly unsafe websites.

In addition, you should regularly delete your tracks on the Internet, such as the cache. This makes them more difficult for cyber attackers to detect.

8. Drive-by Download: Open Your Eyes!

Hacker attacks are becoming more frequent and imaginative. An example of this is downloaded from the hard drive. However, the attackers' approach is quite simple:

An Internet user visits a website that has previously been edited by hackers. Now, this manipulation of the website triggers a download. In some cases, this is not even noticed by the user, because there is no additional demand if the download has to be started. Once the malicious program is on the PC, the real effect can unfold and thus damage the user's device.

Now the question arises on how to optimally protect against such attacks. Here we also recommend an updated antivirus program. Otherwise, you should be on the lookout for suspicious websites or questionable downloads, as malware is very difficult to detect.

9. Use Strong Passwords

At this point, users and companies should be careful to use strong and above all complex passwords. For example, password managers can be used to store passwords securely and to generate new passwords made up of different letters, numbers, and special characters.