One of the most important things I do after formatting my computer is opening any folder, clicking the three-dot menu, then selecting Folder Options, and navigating to the View tab. From there, I enable Show hidden files and disable Hide extensions for known file types.
These two settings work as follows:
The first option — Show hidden files — lets you see if there are any hidden files inside a compressed archive you downloaded from the internet. Once you extract it, those hidden files will become visible, giving you the ability to inspect everything you download. This provides a better way to detect malicious files and viruses, and ensures nothing is hiding on your computer without your knowledge.
The second option — and this one is critically important — is showing file extensions. Once enabled, you can clearly identify every file on your system. For example, a text file ends with .txt, a Python file with .py, a compressed file with .zip. The real benefit here is this: if you receive a file via email or WhatsApp that looks like an image icon but its extension is .exe, you will immediately know it is a malicious file and potentially a virus. Hackers use many tricks — they can disguise a harmful executable such as a .cmd file to look like a Word document, and simply running it can compromise your computer and all your accounts.
How to Protect Yourself and Inspect Files Safely
Knowing file extensions alone is not enough. You need to protect yourself by learning how hackers think, and by running anything you are suspicious of — especially executable files — inside an isolated test environment. The best such environment is Windows Sandbox, which you can enable directly on your Windows installation.
The beauty of Sandbox is that it gives you a virtual Windows system identical to your own. You copy any program you want to test into it, run it, and check whether it is malicious or harmless — or simply preview it temporarily. The moment you close the Windows Sandbox window, everything inside it is permanently deleted. This keeps your real environment completely separated from the virtual one, protecting you from any compromise.
Steps to Verify Support and Enable Windows Sandbox
- To confirm your device supports the feature, open Task Manager, go to the Performance tab, and look at the bottom for Virtualization — it must show Enabled.
- To enable the feature, right-click the Start menu, select Run, and type the following command for quick access: appwiz.cpl, then press OK.
- From the left-hand panel, select Turn Windows features on or off.
- Scroll down the list until you find Windows Sandbox, check the box, and press OK.
- Once the configuration is complete, restart your computer. After rebooting, you can open Sandbox from the Start menu and begin using it.
These are some of the techniques hackers use to compromise your device, along with some methods you can apply to strengthen your own protection. As I mentioned, the best defense is continuous learning and staying up to date with the latest attack methods. If you ever encounter something suspicious and are unsure about it, you can ask an AI assistant or consult a cybersecurity professional — most people with a solid computer science background today have the knowledge to help you.
Stay safe, and don't forget to share this information with your friends!
Written by Khalil Shreateh Cybersecurity Researcher & Social Media Expert Official Website: khalil-shreateh.com