How Do I Know if I Have Malware | Antivirus Software

As we have said before, anyone can become the target of a cybercriminal. Thus, we are all at risk of malware attacks. As BBVA explains, below we explain how to know if you have malware on your devices :

1. Battery consumption - The first indication that you should be concerned about is if the battery consumption of your device has increased significantly. Although, it is necessary to clarify that it is a sign that does not always have to mean that the device is infected. 

If you have downloaded and installed an application a short time ago or are constantly using the device, you should not be scared because they can be the meaning of this increase in consumption.

2. Strange browsing - An unequivocal indication that something abnormal is happening to your device is erratic behavior when browsing the Internet.

It is clear that if suddenly turn up on a website that you have not sought or will appear messages involving I nteracción and/or facilitation of certain data, it is likely that either already infected or you are trying to introduce malware.

3. Atypical ads - In this case, as in the case of strange browsing, you should be alert if you see unwanted ads in the browser or on pages where it is not usual or common to find them.

In case that happens to you, you should know that you have an application installed on the terminal that forces you to see that advertisement.

The malware can access any of your devices when:

• You browse hacked websites.
• You click on malicious ads.
• You download any infected files.
• You install applications from an unknown vendor, as well as software from a questionable source.
• You provide your data on an unreliable website to which a suspicious link has redirected you.

10 Tips to Avoid Falling Victim to Malware

It is extremely important that we develop security behaviors in order to prevent and deal with any type of malware that infects a corporate or personal computer, fixed, or mobile.

In this article, we review what the main causes and vectors of cyberattacks are and what are the challenges that we must anticipate in the coming years.

Prevention is a fundamental action if we want any of our devices is free of malware. Here are 10 tips to avoid being a victim of a malware attack :

1. Pay attention to the endings of the domains. Rare letter endings other than, for example, ".com, .org or .es" are indicators of unreliable or dangerous websites.
2. Don't click on pop-up ads while browsing the Internet.
3. Do not open the documents attached to spam, as well as software from suspicious websites.
4. Make sure your operating system and browsers are always up to date.
5. Download and install applications from known and official providers. In the configuration, click on "unknown sources" and deactivate it. In this way, you will avoid the installation of third-party applications.
6. Find out about the applications before downloading them through the opinions of other users. If they have low opinions or low ratings, don't do it.
7. Don't click on suspicious links that could redirect you to untrustworthy pages.
8. Get a good antivirus software that includes layered protection and provides disinfection functionality to correct any changes caused by malware.
9. Use two accounts to use the system. It is recommended to have an administrator account to manage the system and another for work.
10. Use complex passwords. To be able to be robust and to mix uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and characters.

3 Ways to Remove Malware

Most of the time, users seek help when their device has already been infected by malware. In these cases, you have to try to eliminate it and counteract its harmful effects.

Here are three different and possible ways to remove malware:

1. WITH ANTIVIRUS OR ANTI-MALWARE  - If you do not have an antivirus installed, it is important that you download one. Of course, pay attention to the site where you download it. Do it from an official page that validates the reliability of the program. Be wary of free antivirus.

Once the antivirus is installed, you must do a virus scan to detect how many malware has infected the computer. The next step is to eliminate the virus and clean the files that have been affected during the infection.

2. NO ANTIVIRUS OR ANTI-MALWARE  - There is a possibility that you do not have an antivirus or that, even if you have an antivirus, it is not capable of eliminating malware. It requires an advanced level of knowledge to remove the virus without antivirus and without dispensing with the operating system of the infected device. 

So, in this case, there is the possibility of isolating the file and trying to disinfect it on your own or when a new antivirus installation occurs. Although, you can also install an antivirus that is more powerful and kill it more easily.

3. NO ACCESS TO THE DEVICE  - Sometimes malware prevents the user from accessing their operating system. This means that since the system is inaccessible, no antivirus can be passed. When this situation occurs, it is best to start Windows in safe mode.

If you're still having trouble, one way to access the device is to do so remotely and perform a system restore or manually remove the malware.