Protecting yourself from a virus

What is a virus?

A virus is a type of computer program that you may get if you download something from untrustworthy websites. Instead of receiving what you think you're downloading, you get a virus in its place.

What can a computer virus do?

A computer virus can do range of things to your computer, including:

• Deleting or locking documents on your computer so that you can’t open them
• Forcing your web browser to open web pages you don't want to open
• Causing advertisements to constantly cover your computer screen.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to avoid viruses.

Step 1: Think before you click

To avoid your computer being affected by a virus, you should only download from trusted sources, such as:

• Websites of organisations you know or have a relationship with
• Websites whose addresses you have checked are authentic, display a padlock and start their address with https://
• Websites with a Contact page.

Step 2: Keep a backup

Be sure to make copies of important photos and documents onto an external USB hard drive, a cloud account, or USB. You can also make printed copies if you have a printer.

With a good backup plan, you can still have access to your valuable information if your computer is affected by a virus.

If you are unfamiliar with the cloud, you can find out more, including how to back up documents, in our Using the cloud topic.

Step 3: Get antivirus protection

Make sure you have antivirus software on your computer. This will help defend against a computer virus infection and keep your documents safe.

You'll learn more about antivirus software in the next activity, What is antivirus software?

Well done!

You've finished the Protecting yourself from a virus activity, and understand the three steps you can take to prevent having to deal with a computer virus:

• Think before you click
• Keep a backup
• Get antivirus software.

You can learn more about antivirus software in the What is antivirus software? activity, coming up next.