Infections really do happen. Vulnerability of your computer is determined by your geographical location, anti-malware / anti-virus softwares, and online activities. Malicious websites, spam e-mails, free software downloads, unsafe file sharing among others are the main sources of malwares. It can be a major headache with data loss and even identity theft - you don't want to see a zero balance on your account, right? Rather, safeguard your computer from infections and avoid trojans, rootkits, spywares and other malwares.
- Always patch and update your system. Most of the time this is free and just require a few mouse clicks and seconds of system restart.
- Enable firewall of your computer, or you can spend if you really are insecure - maybe you live somewhere in Brazil or Spain (again, geographical location can be a factor).
- Don't scrimp on your anti-virus, and please update the definitions regularly.
- Don't fall trap to web advertisements, banners, or whatever fake warnings you get when browsing.
- Filter your emails, snub junks and spams, and not spam too!
- Do not click links on unknown emails. If you really need to open so, just copy the address and paste it on the browser.
- Be mindful when downloading, check the comments on the sources.
- Lastly, for now, make your passwords a little more difficult, avoid names and birthdays.
