Why is it that people invest in securing their tangible belongings and assets, but overlook their electronic (virtual) belongings and assets? Sometimes, the latter can actually be more valuable to you—whether it is your child’s baby pictures, your passwords, or your financial documents, a loss of your virtual data can be devastating. There are no deadbolts or security guards for virtual information, though—so what do you do? There are several options.

Malware is software that is used to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information or gain access to private computer systems. It is usually downloaded onto your computer without you even realizing it—piggybacking onto another program of some sort. Malware is a broad term that includes not only viruses, but Trojans, ransomware, spyware, adware, scareware and other programs.

Viruses are one of the first things that people think of when they think of their computers being vulnerable. Viruses are malware programs that, when executed, replicate by inserting copies of itself into other computer programs, data files or the boot sector of the hard drive. They are constantly evolving, however, so you need to keep your virus protection current. Some computers are less vulnerable to viruses than others (Macs, for example), but with a good anti-virus program, all computers can be protected.

For more information about securing your electronic data, call Tek Computing Solutions—your Salt Lake computer optimization experts.