|
Technology
Info, Tips, FAQs System
Maintenance & Care
"Viruses", "worms" and "Trojan horses" are human-made software programs created specifically to wreak havoc on personal computers and networks. The chance of downloading one of these computer viruses over the Internet has increased dramatically recently. Usually, you contract a virus by opening e-mail attachments. Some viruses are relatively harmless to individual users. They just attach themselves to outgoing messages or e-mail themselves to all the people listed in your address book. The sudden flood of e-mail overwhelms mail servers, causing the mail server system to crash. Other viruses are more destructive and may remain dormant (inactive) 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 contents of 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. It now seems that a new virus is unleashed every week. Try This...
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. How can you protect yourself? By using anti-virus programs to scan your incoming e-mail attachments and alerting you if one is infected. They also scan your hard drive for viruses and delete them. The two most popular programs are from are from McAfee and Symantec. You can purchase and download software from their sites. Both offer regular updates to handle newly discovered viruses. McAfee Symantec For a comprehensive overview of computer viruses, visit the Symantec AntiVirus Research Center located at: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/vinfodb.html
1. Make sure your computer runs anti-virus software. If not, buy and install it immediately. 2. Even if you have this software, it has to be updated regularly, as new viruses appear daily. You can configure some products to automatically download updates, making it easy to stay protected. Otherwise, periodically download the updates manually. I would recommend updating your virus definitions twice a week. 3. DO NOT OPEN an e-mail attachment unless you know and trust the sender. 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. 4. 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. 5. Regularly back up your files. Should your system become infected, you won't lose your valuable data. (See document on Backing Up Your Data.)
|
|
|
back to Technology Content Index
Events
Calendar What's
New
|