Countermeasure: Hygiene

The easiest control against malicious code is hygiene: not engaging in behavior that permits malicious code contamination. The two components of hygiene are avoiding points of contamination and blocking avenues of vulnerability.

To avoid contamination, you could simply not use your computer systems—not a realistic choice in today’s world. But, as with preventing colds and the flu, there are several techniques for building a reasonably safe community for electronic contact, including the following: