Determine possible mitigations for malware threats
There are many ways that you can help protect against malware infection on your devices, including that you:
- Ensure that you apply all software and operating system updates to your devices.
- Ensure that you install and activate anti-malware software on your devices.
- Ensure that anti-malware definitions are current.
- Avoid risky behavior, such as consuming pirated software or media.
- Avoid opening suspicious email attachments, even if they are from senders that you trust.
Malware can infect the devices of even the most diligent people. For example, users with good malware-avoidance habits might visit a reputable website that has been compromised and that uses an undisclosed exploit in popular software. These users’ devices could become infected. An example could be that the software vendor hasn't fixed that software because they're unaware that the exploit exists.
Additionally, no anti-malware solution has a perfect detection rate. It's possible to take all necessary precautions and still have your devices infected. Taking precautions only reduces the probability that a person’s device will be compromised by malware. It doesn't eliminate that possibility.