How to Stop Malware Dead in its Tracks and Keep Hackers Off your Computer

Learn how to stop Malware dead in its tracks and keep hackers off your PC and all your other devices.

In replying to a question on a community forum a while back, I realized that a lot of you surfers are having a tough time keeping your computer running smooth and junk-free.  Tell me about it!  Not being pretty much nuts about it can really hurt.

There are a lot of programs you can download to scan your computer for spyware, adware and much worse. The problem is, a lot of them don’t do a very good job.  Some of them even load malware, themselves, and then try to make you pay to get rid of the problems.

But it gets worse…

There’s another downside to a lot of the anti-malware software you might try when you’re trying to figure out how to stop malware.  It might work.  It might even get rid of the junk it finds.  But it also might make your computer run slowly.

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Unfortunately, this is a very common problem. You know you have to figure out how to stop malware.  If you’re surfing for traffic at all, malware’s and issue.  Someone is going to try to hit you.  But it’s a real pain trying to figure out how to stop malware effectively.  Trying to wade through the list of software available can make your head hurt. No one program seems to be able to get rid of everything.

But there are some excellent programs I recommend.  When I was trying to figure out how to stop malware, I tried a lot of software!

Recommended software

Windows Defender, formerly called Microsoft Antispyware, comes with all modern versions of Windows.  Believer it or not, it’s an excellent piece of software.  It is  very effective virus protection, but that’s not all.  It now comes with other security, such as account protection, firewall and network protection and more. I’ve run it for a couple of years, now, with no problems.

Note: If you’re using Windows and you don’t have Windows 10, you’re just asking for trouble!  In today’s world, you must keep your operating system (OS) current.  As long as updates for your OS are still being offered, as long as you do your updates, you should be okay.  But the moment your OS is no longer updated, you will almost certainly get hit.

I ran an old computer with nothing but the OS and a few unimportant files on it for about six months after the updates stopped.  I had some pretty good antimalware software on it, but it got hit with ransomware. In my case, it was an experiment I was running, and I lost nothing.  I simply formatted the disk and reloaded the system with a modern OS.

Mac users

If you’re using a Mac, don’t be too confident!  Macs have increased greatly in popularity, and unfortunately, have become more interesting to criminals.

Out of the box, Mac is generally less likely to get hit, as long as you follow the rules.

Don’t click on links in email.  Don’t load software unless you are certain of its source and safety.

Do run malware checks on a regular schedule.  A product like Malwarebytes is a good choice.  It also doesn’t hurt to use a good antivirus for Mac like AVG Antivirus.

Imagine just how unhappy you would be to find your expensive Mac infected with malware!

Ransomware

Ransomware is another kind of very malicious malware you need to protect yourself against.  No article about how to stop malware can be complete without talking about ransomware.

When ransomware hits your computer, it encrypts all your files.  You will need a special key to decrypt them.  You cannot access your files without the key.

What will you see, if this happens to you?  There will be a shocking notice on your desktop. It will tell you your files are encrypted with military encryption.  It will also tell you how much you have to pay and how to pay.  They often want $500 or more, usually paid via bitcoin.

The problem is – you guessed it – if you pay, they will often try to extort even more from you.  The best defense it to get software designed to prevent it from happening. No article on how to stop malware can be complete without dealing with ransomware.

My choice

Acronis Software offers the best ransomware protection I have found for my PC.  I hate adding extra software! Even though I know this is how to stop malware, I hate adding more.  But I know there isn’t one single one to rule them all (hat tip to Lord of the Rings).  Since adding the software from Acronis, I haven’t had a single problem, plus is hasn’t slowed my machine down (yet).

Acronis offers free and paid protection, an excellent investment for your computer security. If you buy the software, become an affiliate!  I am and would recommend that anyone buying it become an affiliate, too. Like many of you, I’ve bought a few others and have been very disappointed with them. However, this one works great, and as far as I’m concerned, is a MUST HAVE for your computer.

Cleaning

CCleaner, which you can get from many reliable software outlets, is one of the handiest little tools I’ve ever used.  I load it on all my computers and any I set up for others.  It’s really easy to use, and does a great job cleaning most junk from your computer.

It’s very important to know how to stop malware, but it’s also critical to know how to clean up after it!  All the attempts to hit your computer after a surfing session leaves a lot of junk.  It can also damage some of your files, which can slow your computer down.

CCleaner also repairs many damaged files, which can save you hours of headaches.  As an added bonus, I find it even faster than the Windows program for uninstalling software I no longer need.

Conclusion

To sum up, I recommend that you use all three pieces of software to stop malware.  Run them all, one at a time. This should clean out any malicious software presently running on your computer. Then keep Windows Defender and the Acronis software running all the time.  This is how to stop malware very effectively, without bogging down your machine.

Make sure you keep your software up to date!  One of the number one reasons for computers getting infected is outdated files.

I hope all this is helpful to you!  If you have some helpful tips, a question, or even just a comment or two, please share them in the comment section, below.

Dave Cottrell is opinionated, compassionate, and passionate about people, marketing and online business. He does a lot of digging, experimenting and research, and writes like crazy about a wide variety of topics and subjects. He is the owner of many websites and blogs; you can read his rants and find out more about him at https://davecottrell.com This article can be shared freely as long as this box remains intact. Copyright © 2019 – 2021 David H. Cottrell. All rights reserved.