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When it comes to guarding yourself from malware, surveillance and some barnacles from the pirates of the digital seas, there's been many guides written and shared within the community. A lot of them have been killed, but just like the humble cockroach, such groups are hard to eliminate.
When downloading software, especially freeware, always check and double-check the site you're downloading from for legitimacy. The FMHY Wiki has a list of some trusted places, but always take these with some doubt. You never know when a site hosting something can change for the worst to cash in on some high internet traffic.
In the past, I was a big advocate for scanning your downloads - a practice of using additional software to check for malware before running or even downloading a program. I still kind of am, but the major scanner, VirusTotal, is owned by Google. After all that we've learned recently, I don't know how safe it is to be passing freeware or cracked software through this avenue - Malwarebytes and their free software seems to be the best for scanning individual downloads and links, but it's not perfect. There's also HybridAnalysis, which is run by CrowdStrike. Really, the best way to ensure safe downloading is reputable sources. Ask around, check Reddit threads and buried forums, only download from links you know are safe!
When checking websites for general browsing safety, consider testing out the URLVoid. This won't always be 100% correct but it does help when you're questioning a link that is suspicious.
If you're really unsure, you can consider using a Virtual Machine. We spoke on virtual desktops before in the Types of Computers lesson, but it acts as a separate sandbox environment to contain whatever you put into it. Sandboxie, Windows Sandbox, or other virtual machines are great ways to isolate questionable software. Some are safer than others, but all should cover some basic virus containment.
Consider reading on preventative steps you can take to avoid malware. Maybe you need something on how to remove malware once you have it? Either way, there are a lot of free and paid software to cover your needs with staying safe on the web.
In the next lesson, we'll be going over VPNs and how to stay safe while collecting freeware and not-so-freeware.
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