Check downloaded files
Treat all files downloaded from the internet with caution, including files from sites, peer-to-peer networks, and messengers. Don't ignore antivirus and operating system warnings when you download files or run downloaded programs. If you're advised to disable your antivirus to solve a problem, you're dealing with suspicious content.
If you receive a file by email (even if it's "just a picture" and you know the sender), save the file to a disk. Before opening it, check it using an antivirus or online scanners.
Potentially dangerous:
Executable files with the
.exe
,.com
,.bat
,.cmd
,.js
,.vbs
,.pif
,.swf
,.jar
,.reg
,.msi
,.gg
,.gadget
,.htm
,.html
,.xhtml
,.mht
, and.chm
extensions.MS Office files (
DOC
,XLS
,PPT
, and other formats) and PDF documents that can contain macro viruses.
Almost every file has an extension: it indicates the file type. For example, postcard.jpg
is an image: this is indicated by the .jpg
extension. Sometimes, a pseudo-extension is added to the virus file name: for example, postcard.jpg.exe
. Windows normally hides the real extension, so the file name is displayed as postcard.jpg
. A user can easily mistake this file for an image and open it.
To avoid making such mistakes, enable the display of file extensions:
Windows 10 |
|
Windows 8.1 |
|
Windows 7 |
|
Windows 10 |
|
Windows 8.1 |
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Windows 7 |
|