This era is completely dependent on instantaneous information, immediate communication, and lightning internet. But, on the one hand, this revolution has offered us conveniences and transformed our lives; on the other hand, it even created a risk of digital information being stolen or tampered. One of these threats is usually the virus. Not just precisely the virus, but other malware, Trojans, worms, and spyware are other threats to the data security to the digitally stored data.
With regular improvising, the people are now getting into the use of better versions of hard disk drives like the Western Digital hard disk drive that can have a resistance to these threats. But sadly, being completely resistant to cyber threats isn’t possible. This is why the end-users these days have to be highly informed and proactive to have a fighting chance against the rampant security threats.
Though it is not possible for the person to completely keep the hard disk drive protected from the virus and spyware but by knowing the methods to avoid such issues, the data security can be ensured to a lot extent. These threats might create a situation when you have to seek help for Western Digital data recovery to retrieve the lost data. Thus, here are some of the ways through which you can avoid such a situation and can prevent your data from virus and spyware:
- Install quality antivirus
Most of the users simply install the free antivirus applications available on the internet. But least they know is that installing such an antivirus application would just be for namesake and won’t be effective to protect your sensitive files. Thus, when your focus is to save your data from the virus and spyware, it always considered essential to install the paid and trusted antivirus software that could ensure the adequate protection of the data from the ever-growing list of threats. Preferably, you should consider going for the pro-grade antivirus programs that could protect you from a wider range of threats.
- Real-time anti-spyware protection
It’s time to get rid of the myth that installing an antivirus program also saves your data from spyware. This is not true as the antivirus software would only act as a shield to the virus, preventing it from entering the system and the hard disk drive but when it is about detecting and preventing the spyware threats, it is necessary to have a real-time anti-spyware protection software installed that could ensure safety from the infections that have the ability of harming your data.
- Daily scans of the data
It is possible that the virus and spyware threats can escape the active protective engines of a system and can completely infect your data stored on your WD external drive or any other hard disk drive. Thus, you might never come to know when these issues can outsmart the anti-virus programs you have installed. Conducting the daily scans of the hard drive of the system can help in timely detecting what’s going wrong and how it could be prevented. Conducting daily scans would thus add a layer of protection, ensuring the regular checks of data safety.
- Disable autorun
Most of the virus works in the pattern of attaching themselves to a drive and installing themselves to any other media which is connected to the system. As a result, any network drive or an external hard disk connected to the system will also get captured by the virus, thus ruining all your data on it. Thus, to ensure that the virus doesn’t spread and installed on different media, it is essential to disable the autorun feature in your system.
- Surf smartly
Different business-class anti-malware applications consist of browser plug-ins that support in protecting the drive-by infections, phishing attacks, and even intruders who try to steal the personal and financial information associated with any end-user. Along with this, you can even use the ones that offer the end-users with link protection through which the web links are checked against databases of the bad pages which are known.
Also, there are certain aspects about which the user should be alert. It is advisable not to add any personal detail to a web page that you haven’t reached manually. Considering opening the web browser and adding an address to open a web page instead of simply clicking a hyperlink. There are chances that the hyperlinks on the emails can redirect the users to fake, fraudulent, or unauthorized web sites that could trigger any virus that could enter your hard disk drive and damage the information on it. Thus following the right means of safety will save you from data loss so that you don’t have to keep looking for WD external hard disk recovery services for help.
- Deploy DNS protection
Among the major security risks to the data, drive-by infections are one of them. In this situation, when the user visits any specific compromised web page, it ends up infecting the system and the hard drives connected to it. Another threat to worry about is the web sites that end up distributing the infected programs, Trojan files, and applications all over your system drives. Other threats are some form of poisoned DNS attacks in which the compromised DNS server ends up directing you to an unauthorized web server, which can trigger the infections to your system. All of these threats can be effectively prevented by deploying DNS protection that will protect the data from spyware, phishing, and other web-based hazards.
- Use hardware-based firewall
A reliable hardware-based firewall is indispensable. It could protect your system and data from a range of exploits, viruses, worms, malicious network traffic, and various other vulnerabilities. The software-based firewalls can’t ensure complete protection from the spyware and viruses and the myriad robotic attacks that could affect all internet-connected systems.
Data security on hard drives is quite a critical issue. Even a single loophole or carelessness, and you are going to end up with data loss or tampered data. Following all the above measures would be a helpful way of saving your data from the cyber threats, ensuring data protection.
