No Dragon Tattoo? No Problem! How Amateurs Can Avoid Malware (No Judgment)

Pesky hackers. Always trying to get into our devices. But you don't need to be Elliot from Mr. Robot or Lisbeth Salander to outsmart them.

Malware is everywhere, and after the recent announcement by some security firms that ransomware (malware that locks your files and requests money to unlock them) has been spotted on Mac computers, the possibility and concern of malware reaching your computer is rising.

The most obvious way to prevent malware distribution to your PC (or Mac, although PC threats are more common) is to have great antivirus software. Free antivirus packages are getting better and better, and they usually work well.

Paid products offer more features for better protection, but for students it’s always best to save money and go with the free options.

If you’re running Windows 7 and above, you will have Windows Defender installed, which is okay, but there are better options out there such as Avast! and AVG.

For the best protection, using an antivirus program as well as a secondary scanner in case of incidents where your antivirus fails is a good option. Secondary scanners that I find work well include MalwareBytes’ Anti-malware and Hitman Pro. There are also Mac versions of some of these products too.

So that’s protection – what about prevention? You may have seen multiple download buttons on the internet or “pop-ups” that tell you that you need to fix your computer’s errors. Well, they’re fake. On some download websites they put sneaky advertisements that look like download buttons, but they actually don’t download what you want. Using an ad-blocker is the best way to avoid these.

However, there are tricks a lot worse than that. Download sites sometimes include an installer which downloads unwanted software when the user clicks the huge green ‘accept’ button. Don’t just click the big green button - read everything. It might install a toolbar or a "Deal finding extension". Nasty.

Pirating is – obviously - very common and some pirating websites take advantage of you wanting that new Taylor Swift song or the latest Game of Thrones episode by sneakily downloading malware too. The ultimate solution is to not pirate anything, but if you’re still feeling a bit rebellious, at least understand that you’re risking your computer’s security in lieu of paying for your music or television.

You might have also received emails that appear like they’re from Australia Post or the federal police. These are malicious spam emails, and you can often tell by the poor grammar, the lack of your first name in the subject line and the fact that it’s an email. That’s right, Australia Post and the AFP would never send you an email if something bad has happened; you would actually get a letter. How interesting...

Congratulations to Ryan for winning this writing challenge, answering: How To Avoid Malware. Ryan wins a $50 Westfield gift card for his submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Comps section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!

Photo: iStock.