Internet is flooded
with all kinds of content, good as well as bad. Being there on the World Wide
Web would ultimately lead you into downloading something or the other.
Moreover, there is so much relevant information and stuff for entertainment out
there that you cannot resist to have it on your PC in a mere click. All this
downloadable information and web content either needs to be purchased or comes
free of cost. But this ease of obtaining the desired stuff by simply clicking
upon a link is accompanied with the troubles of virus infection.
If you happen to
download any unintended stuff, it would never get deleted on its own and you
could end up having an infected PC. You, therefore, ought to be aware of what
you allow your computer to download. Is there any way to judge whether a
particular file, you are about to download is safe or not?
How to Judge the Credibility of a
Downloadable Software or File?
Though attackers
have numerous ways to fool you, yet noticing few distinctive features can alert
you well in advance.
●
See what you download
The first check to
know whether a particular file would be safe or not is to consider what you
downloaded. If you opted to download a free game, movie or something with adult
content, you are most likely to get an infected file. Whereas, if you choose to
download an add-on to an existing software or application you have, you might
not go wrong.
●
What is the source of the downloadable
file?
Be doubly sure
about the location from where you are obtaining the respective file or
software. By simply looking at the website you can identify whether it is
genuine or not. An extremely basic and vague website could be the source of a
malicious program. However, if you are downloading a software from the website
of a trusted vendor itself, such as Microsoft, you are less likely to falter.
Moreover, attachments from any of the emails coming from unknown sources could
be infected. But, these days certain email viruses send unsolicited mails to
the contacts of the compromised Email Id.
●
What is the size of the file
If a downloadable
file is extremely small in size for what it ought to be, the chances are high
that it is nothing but trash.
●
Do check file extension
You should be well
aware of the extension of the file you are about to download. If it varies with
what you actually anticipated or seems suspicious then better perform a virus
scan. If you are not sure what should be the extension of the file you would be
downloading, look at the ones you already have.
●
Use a virus scan software
Apart from all the
precautions, it is best to have a reliable Internet security software for advanced
protection. Always go for a software utility you can trust and has a two-way
firewall with a strong virus scan engine.
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