There are over 1 billion devices running Microsoft Windows. With such a huge number, there’s a probability that you also own a device with this operating system, and maybe you’re even reading it on one. Unfortunately, with such popularity comes a lot of problems. Just in the first quarter of 2020, Windows computers were targets of 83% of all malware attacks.
Getting Started
The first thing you should do when setting up your computer to maximize its safety is to download software that will help you with it. Of course, some apps already come pre-installed, but they won’t protect you from everything. If that were the case, there would be no other companies offering protective software.
How to Configure your Windows 10 or 11 Computer to Protect it from Malware Infections
Antivirus Software
Naturally, the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about keeping your computer secure is good antivirus software. As we already know, those pre-installed, although they’re fairly good, aren’t sufficient. Therefore, you should get something from a third party and depending on what you need exactly, and the possibilities are plentiful.
Different companies offer different products which then provide different features. There’s no recipe for the best antivirus as you’ll need one that’s fully tailored to your needs. With that in might, you have to decide whether you want cloud backup, family control, and other things that might turn out to be useful, and pick the one that suits you best.
VPN Software
Many people download antivirus software and think that’s all they need for protecting their computer. Unfortunately, the possible threads go far beyond those that can be remedied with simple antivirus software. Therefore, if you want to ensure safety, finding the best VPN for windows should be your top priority.
Why is it so important?
The Internet has become one of the crucial elements of our lives. It’s one of the most, if not the single most influential innovations of the 20th century. We find ourselves using it every day, for hours on end. Still, not many people aren’t fully aware of the dangers associated with it.
Beware of public hotspots
We have all accessed a public network at least once in our lifetimes. Whether it’s at your favorite coffee shop or at a hotel, the thing that matters is that we weren’t the only ones having access to it. Especially now that more and more companies are allowing their employees to work from home, we find ourselves connected to those networks more often.
But how does it work exactly?
If you want to connect to the Internet, you will most often find yourself connecting to a router that will ultimately connect you to the Net. The thing is, however, that the data you send and receive travels in the air so it can be intercepted by those with enough knowledge to do so.
It’s called a man-in-the-middle attack and it’s what the name implies – someone decides to put themselves in between that connection, intercepting everything you send or receive. That information could be, for example, your bank account credentials. What’s more, they can also infect your device and gain full access to it. Then, once you connect to another network, you’ll infect those other devices connected, and so it goes on.
There’s a way around it
Luckily, you don’t have to ditch public networks once and for all. You can still use them without having to worry whether the person sitting in front of you wants to steal your data. The way you can protect yourself from those kinds of situations is a virtual private network, or a VPN for short, which you might have heard of but probably don’t use.
What’s the buzz all about
VPNs are all around the media now, and it’s for a reason. They protect you from man-in-the-middle attacks by routing your connection through a server meaning that no one knows that you’re sending or receiving. That doesn’t apply only to those using the same network but also your internet service providers, or ISP, and the government. Both of those entities might want to see what you’re up to for different reasons, and VPN will effectively stop them.
Where do I start
While it does sound intimidating, virtual private networks are easy to use. All you have to do it download the right software and then click one or two times to select the server to which you want to connect and then, of course, actually connect to it. And that’s it!
The Bottom Line
As you can see, it’s not that hard to ensure extra safety with VPN software. It’s always good to have it on your computer as you never know when you might need it. Just because you don’t use public networks now doesn’t mean you won’t need it in the future and if you find yourself having to connect to one, it might be too late to protect your data if you don’t have the right tools.
