Many clients ask how they became infected with a virus while pointing out that they have current antivirus software installed. Unfortunately, protecting your computer from infection is an ongoing process.  I have found the following multi-tiered approach the most effective in protecting against infections:

1.  Email - Be paranoid when opening email attachments.  Infected Email attachments can appear to be sent by sources you know and trust.

2.  Operating System - Make sure your Windows software is fully patched with the latest security updates (Windows Critical Updates)

3.  Current & Reputable Antivirus - Make sure your Antivirus is current and fully patched.  Do not let you antivirus software get too old before upgrading and make sure the virus definitions are up to date. For a current list of reputable AntiVirus programs, click HERE. 

4.  Malware Protection - Periodically run a decent malware scan.  You should run a malware scan at least once per month. For a current list of reputable Anti-Malware programs, click HERE.

5.  Firewall - Have a software firewall enabled and in place (i.e. Windows Firewall).

6.  Surfing Habits - When surfing the web, try to stick to reputable websites as much as possible.   A virus infection can occur simply by visiting an infected website.  So the more you venture out into the dark corners of the internet, the more likely bad things will happen.  Stay in the well-lit areas as much as possible.

7.  Internet Browser - Use a third party internet browser, such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari.