You may find that the sender’s email account was hacked and is now being used to send out malicious SPAM.Īnti-virus software will help protect you against bad attachments and bad downloads, but it won’t protect you from everything. If you are still in doubt and think you need to see the attachment, call the sender and ask. Check the sender’s email address if you are in doubt. If the email has only a short, non-personal message like “Hey! Look at this cute puppy!” or “This is funny!” with an attachment, be even more suspicious. If you receive an unexpected email from someone with an attachment, be suspicious. Malware can come from website downloads or attachments in emails. But the software you're persuaded to download is actually malware! One common strategy is to display a fake virus test and tell you there’s a problem and that you need to download some software to be secure again. Other malware masquerades as games or screen savers, just waiting for you to install them. Some malware targets vulnerabilities, like bugs in the software on your computer. Remember to enable automatic updates, because the anti-virus developers are constantly identifying and addressing new threats. There are a variety of good anti-virus products available and many of them have free versions. It’s important to stay cautious: anti-virus software will catch most things, but it won’t catch everything. So consider anti-virus protection for your tablet and smartphone. Traditionally, malware has been a problem for PCs, but more malware is being seen on mobile operating systems (like Android and iOS). If malware takes over your system, you’re not just a victim – your system becomes part of the problem.Īnti-virus software can run scheduled checks, and will check incoming email for malware that’s snuck onto your system.

Malware can also take over your system to send out SPAM emails, or attack other people’s accounts. Malware can read all the files on your system including your email, your financial records, and personal information. These can be sent back to scammers and give them access your accounts, causing financial problems and embarrassment. If malware gets on your system, it can capture everything you type like the passwords to your email account, PayPal account, and other financial accounts. Anti-virus software can help prevent the installation of new malware and will detect most malware if it does get installed. Just like a human virus, malware can be spread in many ways and it's usually unclear how it got onto your system. Someone could send an infected file, or you could download something that seemed safe – but wasn’t. Viruses or malware are malicious software that can be installed on your system through security holes or user actions.

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