You love the convenience of having a laptop computer, but one thing that's not so convenient is that they can get a virus. Just like some viruses are detrimental to your body, a computer virus can ruin the health of your computer in mere seconds. What exactly is a computer virus and what are some simple ways to protect your laptop from them?

Understand Computer Viruses

A computer virus is a type of malicious software that can wreak havoc on your computer. Oftentimes, they are loaded onto your computer without you realizing it is happening. Some of the most common types of malicious software include ransomware, Trojan horses, adware, and spyware.

Much like a contagious virus to the human body, computer viruses act in the same way as they are spread from host to host with the ability to replicate itself. Some ways your computer can get infected with a virus include:

• Opening an e-mail attachment from an unknown source
• Downloading software from an unsafe website
• Clicking online ads
• Clicking unsafe links on social media
• Downloading unpatched software

Not only are computer viruses a pain to deal with, but they are also expensive. In the United States alone, cybercrime cost consumers a whopping 15.42 billion dollars in 2015. So what can you do to protect your computer and your pocketbook from getting a virus? Here are two simple ways to prevent them.

Download Anti-Virus Software

You shouldn't even think about surfing the internet on your laptop computer without first downloading anti-virus software. Anti-virus software can protect your computer from viruses that can delete data from your computer and ones that cause your computer to crash or slow down.

Create a Strong Password

Every time you create an account online, you have to sign in with a password. While it can be a pain to have a different password, it's usually advisable to do so. When you create passwords, you'll want to ensure they are strong ones. Strong passwords should never contain the following:

• Your spouse's or child's name followed by a 0 or 1
• The last four digits of your social security number
• The word "password"

Computer experts say that the best passwords are long ones that contain numbers, special characters, and both lowercase and uppercase letters.

Downloading anti-virus software and creating a strong password will greatly decrease your chances of getting a virus. If by chance your computer does get infected, take it to a computer company that does laptop repair, such as Computer Exchange, right away.