Protect Yourself: Computer Viruses

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Viruses, worms and Trojan horses are human-made software programs created specifically to wreak havoc on personal computers and networks. The chance of contracting one of these computer viruses over the Internet has increased dramatically. In fact, unless you run anti-virus software, your computer will almost certainly become infected. Typically, you get a virus by opening infected e-mail attachments. Some viruses are relatively harmless to individuals. They just attach themselves to outgoing messages or e-mail themselves to all the contacts listed in your address book. The sudden flood of e-mail overwhelms mail servers, causing the system to crash. Other viruses are more destructive and may lie dormant until a certain date. Then they spring to life to do their dirty deeds. Sometimes a strange message appears on your screen, or data and programs may be modified. In the worst case, all the files on your hard drive may be wiped out. These pernicious programs start on one computer, then replicate quickly, infecting other computers around the world. In 1988 a student at Cornell University sent out a virus out by accident, infecting more than 6,000 computers in minutes, nearly bringing the Internet to its knees. More recently, the "I Love You" virus caused over $1 billion in lost productivity as it crippled e-mail systems worldwide. Last year alone, 10,000 new viruses, worms and Trojan horses were unleashed. Warning Signs of Virus Infection Your computer starts running sluggishly. It shuts down unexpectedly or crashes frequently. It experiences memory problems or runs out of disc space. Unusual files or directories appear on your system. Strange messages appear on your screen. TRY THIS... Track recent global virus attacks. Inoculate Your Computer If you download and run software from the Internet, or receive e-mail attachments, there's a good chance of contracting one of these digital bugs. Protect yourself by using anti-virus programs to scan your incoming e-mail attachments and alerting you if one is infected. The software also scans your hard drive periodically for viruses and deletes them. The two most popular programs are from are from McAfee.com and Symantec. You can purchase and download the software from their websites. Both offer regular updates to handle newly discovered viruses. For detailed information on specific computer viruses, visit the Symantec AntiVirus Research Center. Virus Prevention Guidelines Make sure your computer runs anti-virus software. If not, buy and install it immediately. Even if you have this software, it must be updated regularly, as new viruses appear daily. Configure the programs to automatically download updates, making it easy to stay protected. Otherwise, periodically download the updates manually. DO NOT OPEN an e-mail attachment unless you know who sent it. Even then, it's not totally safe, as a sneaky virus that has infected a friend's computer can access the e-mail address book, send a message to everyone, and attach itself. To be completely safe, scan the attachment with your anti-virus software BEFORE you open it. If you receive a suspicious message, delete it immediately from your Inbox. When you delete a message, however, it's still on your system. Go into the Deleted Mail folder and delete the message again to permanently remove it from your computer. Regularly back up your files. Should your system become infected, you won't lose valuable data. Last update: Jan 4, 2008 Related Article: Downloading Explore More: Search the Web Learn the Net (www.learnthenet.com) is Copyright 1996-2009. Michael Lerner Productions. All Rights Reserved.