Windows 10 Security
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Security for Windows 10 includes a number of aspects. They include protecting Windows with an antivirus app running in the background, having firewalls enabled and following best practices when using a Windows computer. Also, it is very important to only use the regular user account(s) for everyday computer tasks such as using the Internet or editing documents to limit access to the Windows system by not using the Administrator account for these tasks so computer viruses do not have easy access to system files. Having good privacy settings in place is important so your geolocation will be able to be hidden and any webcam on a monitor can be turned off. Always having Windows up to date with automatic updates being installed when they are released is recommended so vulnerabilities in Windows 10 are patched up when they arise. By having automatic Windows updates in place, as security vulnerabilities are eliminated, online threats to Windows will be less effective. Protection from emails that are scams is an important aspect of Windows security, too. Email scams are a form of spam which could be a source of computer viruses and even malware.
Antivirus Apps
Antivirus apps are very important for Windows 10's security from computer viruses. Over the Internet, computer viruses and malware can be easily downloaded onto computers. Windows operating systems are especially prone being infected by computer viruses and malware. Microsoft by default has its own antivirus app, Windows Defender. However, third-party antivirus apps usually offer greater protection of Windows 10 from computer viruses. While Windows Defender blocks most viruses and malware from entering the given Windows computer system, it provides a slightly reduced protection against online viruses and viruses from installed software. Also, it has less features than required for sound protection of Windows from external threats from viruses and malware. This opens the door for computers to be at a greater risk than needed from viruses and malware. However, a number of third-party antivirus apps provide more robust protection of computers against viruses. They include the following.
Antivirus Apps
Norton Antivirus
McAfee
Avast Antivirus
BitDefender
Windows Defender (Microsoft's default antivirus app)
Anti-malware Apps
Malwarebytes
TOTAL AV
Avira
Spybot Search & Destroy
For removal of malware, Malwarebytes is good in terms of effectiveness. It tends to detect malware antivirus products like Norton Antivirus are unable to detect. Other anti-malware apps are effective for isolating malware, too. You can determine the quality of the anti-malware app you would like to use for malware removal by going through its ratings on the Internet. When encountering an issue related to malware infection, running a full scan of the computer is a good idea since it would scan the entire filesystem of the computer to look for malware. However, on a regular basis, this is not advised to task the anti-malware app to do. This is because a full scan can be very time consuming. It is better to have a fast scan of the most likely places in the filesystem to contain malware done by the anti-malware app by a scheduled time. It is more effective to do timed quick scans for malware by anti-malware apps
It is very important to update antivirus apps and anti-malware apps every year so they are able to respond to emerging threats to computer systems.
Firewalls
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Firewalls in computer systems control access of incoming traffic to the computer and outgoing traffic to external networks based on predetermined rules. They are important in order to safeguard a given computer system from external threats. Normally, antivirus apps have firewalls that are enabled by default. This is important for blocking potentially risky port connections. Data entering in from a blocked port is discarded by the firewall. On the other hand, data entering in from a port not blocked, reaches its destination. Firewalls should be configured on the antivirus app the computer is using for protection against viruses.
Maintaining Best Practices
Keeping Windows 10 and the user files secure from external threats requires both antivirus protection of the computer and best practices being followed. Below, is a list of Best Practices for keeping Windows 10 secure from viruses and malware.
Best Practices
Avoid opening links or attached files in spam emails or Junk folder emails.
Have an antivirus app running in the background on a Windows 10 computer.
Do not go to suspicious websites. They may pose a security threat to your computer.
Avoid going to websites that have not upgraded to HTTPS, as much as possible. Some older web pages still use the less secure, HTTP, protocol in the URL.
Avoid using the Administrator account of Windows for tasks which do not require it to be used for.
Require Windows accounts to have a password assigned to each of them.
Keep Windows 10 updated by automatic updates.
Limit the apps you install on Windows 10.
Keeping good practices in use while using Windows 10 will help to keep the computer more secure. Protection of privacy of documents and other personal data is also enhanced by keeping Windows computers secure. Backing up important files is important to do, too, every once in a while. With laptops, this is especially important. Backups should also include legal documents which must be kept for future reference. It is important to note, backups need to be stored on external disks or drives. This is so if the computer itself gets corrupted or physically compromised, backed up files can be recovered. It is a good practice to have passwords assigned to user accounts to limit access to them. For admin accounts, this is especially important. Admin accounts should only be accessible by authorized users.
Securing Windows from email threats
Emails can pose a threat to Windows 10. This is true if they contain viruses, malware and even links to web pages that could harm a Windows computer.
Email scams are a form of spam which could be a source of computer viruses and even malware.
For more regarding spam, see the below link.
To be on the safe side, when you come across an email that looks like it is a scam from the Subject in the Inbox, it is best to move it into the Junk folder. By doing this, the email service should automatically move the given email based on its email address to the Junk folder every time you receive an email from the specified email address. Also, having an active antivirus app running on the computer is important for catching viruses from email. This is true for all operating systems. It is best to not use email in an Administrator account for security reasons. Also, it is advised to not open emails in unsupported versions of Windows due to security risks to the computer system. The same is true for any unsupported operating system. This is the same for other supported versions of Windows.
Virus and Malware Removal
To remove computer viruses and malware, from a computer's filesystem, an antivirus app or an anti-malware app needs to be ran to do a virus or malware scan. Once the virus or malware scan is completed, known threats will be quarantined and can then be deleted by the given app. Sometimes RKill has to be used to stop viral processes interfering with the operation of Windows, first. There are some viruses which are more difficult to remove. For these viruses, specific instructions and software tools may be required. Virus-specific instructions are often necessary to follow for removing them. Quite often, specific virus removal apps are required for this process, too. An example of a difficult virus your antivirus app may come across is, Flame, in terms of removal. It is important to not manually just delete virus files. Only antivirus and anti-malware apps should be used to remove computer viruses and malware. These include virus/malware-specific software for removal purposes. Avoiding antivirus virus scan alert message web browser alerts is important. These are almost always scams in the form of viruses.
For more information on security for Windows 10, a number of links are below.
Links:
WEBROOT - What is Antivirus Software?
Kaspersky - What is a Firewall?
