What should I do if I connect a USB stick containing a virus to a Windows PC?

If you browse the Internet, download programs or other files, or check your email, be careful not to get infected with a virus. But you have to keep in mind that these are not the only ways we can infect our computer .

It is true that the Internet is full of content and dangers that can adversely affect the data and applications stored on your PC. Therefore, as a general rule, avoid certain dangerous pages, download applications from untrusted sources, or open them in strange ways. Email attachments. However, there are other ways malware can reach the drive without our knowledge.

The most common, XNUMX, is an external storage unit that may connect to equipment without considering the potential hazards. All this clear example can be found in the usual place USB sticks we share with friends and family. A priori these come from fully trusted users, but that doesn’t mean they are 100% free of malicious code . In fact, in the unexpected case, antivirus may display a dangerous message as soon as you connect any of these USB sticks.

Be aware that the risks associated with malicious code arriving over the Internet are similar to the risks you face on your local device. Therefore, in this situation, some precautions need to be taken to prevent the virus from its memory from reaching the PC data .

Prevents viruses from USB sticks from reaching your PC

Needless to say, the first thing to do is to be aware of storage devices such as USB sticks from untrusted users. However, the safety of these items is not always 100% guaranteed. If you connect a device with these characteristics to your computer and warn you that your antivirus software is infected, you need to do this.

Therefore, the first thing to do at this point is to delete or quarantine the file detected as malicious. In some cases, antivirus itself may be able to eliminate viruses detected in these files, whether they are executable files or other types of files. However, this is not always the case, and as mentioned earlier, the security software itself suggests immediate elimination or quarantine.

Due to all of these, as you can imagine, if the malware has not been eliminated from the USB stick, do not open or run these files under any circumstances. Next, the antivirus has cleaned up the device, it is recommended to perform a detailed analysis of its USB stick. In this way, make sure that all traces of malicious code or virus have been erased before opening the contained file.

If a common security solution cannot completely clean up this storage device, it should be completely cleaned up. Format the memory . This is an effective way to make sure it’s clean so you can use it again in the future.

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