Yesterday I had a conversation with my sister about her fear of surfing the net and the possibility of infecting her new pc with a malicious softwares (virus, trojan, malware, adware, popups, setc.). That is like refusing to leave your home because you are afraid of catching a disease. 

Although computers will never be 100% protected from hackers and malicious softwares, by observing a few basic rules I have been able to keep my pcs from being infected by viruses, trojans or taken over by dozens of adwares/popups. 

The main problem is that even with the best antivirus program, we (the users) are the weak link and therefore,  pcs remain vunerable and get infected.  Why? Because users are allowing malicious software (specially adwares/popups) to bypass the antivirus programs. 

Most adwares and popups are not recognized by antivirus programs as maliciuous software and therefore, it is up to the users to prevent their installation.

As I stated above, pcs can never be 100% protected from malicious software, but by following a few rules, we can prevent most infectations and keep our pcs clean.

1. Never use a computer without a password. Running a computer without a login password is like going to the movies and leaving the front door of your house open for thieves to come in and steal your belongings. Therefore, I strongly recommend creating one administrator account and one standard user account as well as turning on the guest account. 

 This is why! All programs/softwares (malicious or not), have a set process they must follow to be downloaded and then installed in any pc. One of the process is requesting permission from the users before downloading and before the installation. Subsequently, when you are using a computer without a password, programs/softwares will be downloaded and installed automatically without asking for permission and your pc will therefore be vulnerable even with a good antivirus program running.

Here is what I suggest: 

Use your standard account as the main account and the administrator account once a week to update your operating system and programs. When you are using the standard account your pc is much less vulnerable, since you don't have permission to install or update any software. 

You can surf the internet worry free knowing that even if you (without knowing) allow the installation of a malicious software, you will be prompted to enter an administrator password and that will be your warning that something fishy is happening. DO NOT ENTER THE ADMINISTRATOR PASSWORD!! Unless you are 100% sure that you want to proceed with the installation. 

Use the guest account (does not require password) as the name implies, to let your guests use your pc. The guest account does not allow users to make any permanent changes to the pc or view your library (be aware that any picture or document on the public library can bee seen by all users). Once the guest logs out, the pc will return to its original settings.

2. Never download and install free software. Unless you know the site is "legit" and what you are doing, the best way to keep your pc free from malicious softwares, but mainly, adwares and popups, is to stay away from freebies. As we know, nothing is free in life! Therefore, free softwares come with lots of pigybacked goodies. 

If you feel daring enough to install a free software, never choose the default installation. That's how they obtain your permission to install most adwares and popups and in cases when you are installing from a malicious site, most malwares. Choose the custom installation and make sure you only check the program you want to install and nothing else that comes with it. But my final advise is to stay away from free software!

Note: Recommend loging off from the account being used instead of switching  to a new account. When you switch accounts, the previously used account is still using pc resources/memories and it slows your pc.

3. Set up your pc to automatically download and update your operating system (OS). Operating systems need to be updated periodically in order to patch vulnerabilities and keep the OS up to date and running smoothly. An outdated OS can be an open door to hackers and malicious softwares programmers, even if your antivirus and firewall are running. 

4. Make sure your antivirus software is updated regularly. Thousands of malicious softwares are created everyday. An outdated antivirus database is like a disconnected bulglar alarm system.   

If you observe those 4 basic rules I am sure that you will be able to enjoy your pc without worrying about malicious softwares or those annoying adwares and popups.  

Happy computing!