What if an email has a virus

Surely on some occasion you have found an e-mail that you have received and you think it may have virus. If this is so, if it actually contains malware, you may have major security issues. You could see that your personal data is compromised and the system starts to malfunction.

The first thing is that you should know that mail viruses can come in different ways. One of the most obvious is that the attacker simply attach a dangerous file. For example it can be a photograph, a Word document, a ZIP folder, etc. Once you download that file the malware would run and the problem would start. But it can also happen that this virus arrives by e-mail through a link and that you open it and the download is automatically started.

In case you download a virus by email, it could be a malicious software designed to steal your personal data. It could collect information from your system and send it to an attacker-controlled server. It is a fairly common method of stealing personal information.

They could also serve to steal passwords. A type of malware can be a keylogger, which will record all keystrokes. This will make all your access codes exposed. A problem that will undoubtedly affect your privacy on the network.

Therefore, as you can see in case an email that reaches you has viruses, you can see that your security and privacy are seriously compromised. It will depend on what type of malicious software it is and what is the purpose of the hackers who have sent it. We could also be before ransomware, spyware, etc.

Tips in case of suspicions

Now what should you do in case you have suspicions? We are going to give a series of guidelines that you should take into account if you think that the e-mail you have received may have viruses. The objective is to prevent it from affecting your security and putting your personal data at risk.

Never download files

Something basic you shouldn't do is download any attached file that there is in that e-mail that you suspect may have viruses. That could trigger the actual attack and right there start putting your personal data at real risk. Therefore, avoid downloading any attached document in case you have the slightest doubt.

This also applies to any links you may have. You should not open them, much less log in through links that contain and that may be a scam. Perhaps you are facing a Phishing attack, which is basically a web page that pretends to be true but as soon as you log in the data ends up in the control of the attackers.

Do not interact with that email

Another point to keep in mind is that you should not interact with that email you have received. The attacker's goal may be to collect your personal data, know that there is really an active user behind that address, and subsequently, include you in a spam list or send you a personalized attack.

Therefore, if you receive suspicious mail, which may have viruses or dangerous links, you should never interact. You should not send any reply mail, or fill out any hypothetical form requesting personal data for any reason that may indicate in that message.

Analyze email links

Once you have followed these first two steps and have not downloaded any files or interacted with the email, the next thing you should do is analyze links have that email. This way you will know if those addresses can really contain any malware or can be secure.

There are different tools that you can use online. One of the most popular is VirusTotal. You can also try others like Sucuri or URLVoid. What you are going to do on these pages is paste the URL of the link you have received and they will indicate if it is a possible virus or threat. In case you detect something strange, the most important thing is that you delete that email as soon as possible and of course do not open that malicious link.

Search information

If you continue with doubts and do not know if it can really be a scam and that email has viruses or not, the next thing to do is search information on the Internet. You can put the address on Google and see if other users have commented on that address and whether or not they can confirm your suspicions.

You can also search for information regarding what appears in that email. Also, if for example it is an alleged legitimate company or online service that you use, you can always contact them to inform you if they really have sent that email or it is an impersonation.

How to act if you have opened an email with malware

Maybe you are late and have made a mistake with an email that you know has viruses or suspicions that it may have. You may even have downloaded a malicious file and already infected your computer. ¿What should you do in these cases? We will explain the steps you should take to minimize damage as much as possible.

Delete any downloaded file

The first is delete any file you have downloaded of that email. For example if you downloaded a text document, an image, a ZIP file… Anything you think can really be malicious software or from which your computer has started to malfunction.

This is not always going to solve the problem, logically, but at least you are going to have a choice that it does not affect your security. You may have to open that file to run the payload and if you delete it it will not affect your system at any time.

Analyze the system

The next thing you should do is analyze the equipment for viruses and any threats that may exist. For this you must make use of a good antivirus. For example you can use Windows Defender itself, which comes with Microsoft systems, but you will also find other options available, both free and paid.

By doing a full team scan you will see if you have any threats. Maybe some malware has entered through that email that could have viruses or maybe even have a previously malicious file. Whatever your case, this way you can check that everything is in order and delete any type of malicious software.

Check that you have the updated equipment

¿Do you have the successfully updated team? This is important and it is something you should review, especially when you suspect that you may have been the victim of a cyber attack or have been able to download a file that may be a danger to security and privacy. There are many vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers and are solved through updates and patches.

In the case of Windows, you have to go to Home, you enter Configuration and you go to Windows Update. There will appear possible new versions that you will be able to update. You must make sure that there are no pending files and that you have all the news installed. This way you can achieve higher performance, but also avoid security problems.

Disconnect other devices

Another step you must take is disconnect any device that you can have connected to the team where you have opened that suspicious email. For example, if you have a flash drive or external hard drive connected, you should disconnect them. The same if you have any other linked device.

This will allow you to cut the string and the possible malware does not affect other devices. It is important to minimize the risk and limit as much as possible the impact it may have on your personal data and the files that you may have stored on other computer equipment.

In short, as you have seen, receiving an email with malware can be a major danger. You can put your privacy and security at risk if you download a file or open a link that has reached you. It is important that you take action as soon as possible and prevent the problem from escalating.