Common Virus Disguises

Most people don't know how they got a virus on their computer. They just know their computer is infected and they want it fixed. This is because hackers hide viruses so that people will unknowingly download them to their computers. One of the best ways to protect your computer from these threats is by knowing common virus disguises and how to avoid them.

Email Downloads Virus Disguise

One of the most common virus disguises is the email trick. A hacker will send mass emails to people. The email will contain an attachment that contains a virus. Recipients will open the attachment to see what it is and the virus will download to their computers.

You may already know this trick and avoid opening emails from people you don't know, which is a good way to avoid infection. Unfortunately, some hackers break into other people's email accounts and use them to send out emails to everyone in the hacked account's contact list. With this virus disguise, you wouldn't know if the email is from a friend or a hacker.

So how do you protect your computer from faux-friend emails? The best defense is installing anti-virus software on your computer. Make sure to install software that has an email-scanning feature. It will check messages and their attachments for viruses and alert you to any threats.

Website Scams Virus Disguise

Websites scams are another way that hackers convince you to download viruses. Some websites will offer free software, movies or song downloads that seem legitimate, but which are actually viruses in disguise. Other websites will download the virus as soon as you click on the link.

A surefire way to avoid website virus disguise is to choose a browser that offers virus and scam website detection. These browsers will warn you before you click on untrustworthy sites.

Another way to protect your computer is to avoid websites with shady reputations, such as adult-entertainment sites and sites that allow you to download free copyrighted materials. Many of these sites are ripe with viruses that can enter your computer without your knowledge.

Anti-virus Software Virus Disguise

If you have tried downloading free computer-protection software, you may have already come across this disguise. There are viruses that masquerade as internet-security software. Often, a warning will pop up on a person's computer screen indicating that they have a virus. The pop-up offers free software to rid the system of its infection. The user will then download the software, which seems to clear up the problem. A while later, the software will tell the user that the computer is infected again, but that to fix it, the user will need to purchase a more powerful piece of software. In the end, the computer is infected with a virus that spreads this fake software's pop-ups and the user is scammed out of money if they decide to purchase the fake upgrade.

Once you know how viruses are hidden, it is much easier to avoid them. Keep your computer safe by avoiding these three common virus disguises.

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