Sometimes you just need to get out of the house with your computer. Working in a coffee shop, library, or restaurant can give you a much needed change of scenery, but it can also make your laptop more vulnerable to computer viruses than they are on the private, secure Internet you have at home. Publically-transmitted computer viruses don\u2019t have to turn you into a homebody, however. Here, we\u2019ll talk about four ways to keep your laptop safe no matter where you take it.<\/p>\n
1. Don\u2019t click on anything.<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the only ways that computer viruses can download onto your computer in this day and age is if you click on a pop-up or banner ad that appears on your screen. Don\u2019t do it! Even if the ad features cute puppies or asks you to donate to orphaned children, close the ad and navigate to the company\u2019s website through your regular browser. Additionally, configure your browser to ask you before it runs files and downloads, rather than running them automatically.<\/p>\n 2. Turn off image previews in your email.<\/strong><\/p>\n Viruses can sometimes be transmitted if you just view infected images in your email client. Instead of leaving yourself vulnerable, disable image preview in your email client, and only view images if you trust the source.<\/p>\n 3. Don\u2019t open email links or attachments.<\/strong><\/p>\n This may be one of the most basic protections, but that doesn\u2019t mean that it doesn\u2019t warrant repeating. Again, viruses often can\u2019t be downloaded without you doing some clicking. So, even if you get what seems like an innocent attachment from your great aunt, don\u2019t open it without scanning your files with an anti-malware application<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n 4. Turn off autorun.<\/strong><\/p>\n Viruses often work by attaching to your drive and then automatically installing themselves on other media connected to your system. This means that thumb drives, external hard disks, and network drives can put viruses onto your system.<\/p>\n