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Computer Viruses DO NOT PANIC !!! You CAN NOT get a virus simply from reading your email. You have to explicitly open, or run, a program that is "attached" to your email (hence it's common name, an "attachment"). As long as you never double-click, or open, any file (but especially an email attachment), regardless of who the file is from, you can not get a virus, even if one is sitting there just waiting for you to launch it. Notice that I underlined regardless of who it is from in the above paragraph. That was part of the insidious nature of the "Melissa" virus, in that it inserted the subject line "Important Message from name of sender", leading recipients to think it was an important message from someone they knew and trusted. I will provide specific information for the "Melissa" virus and another common virus (well, worm actually) that was prevalent early this year, "Happy99", later. For now, let's discuss basic precautions for viruses. As it turns out, both of these viruses have elements in common. Although inconvenient and a very big nuisance, neither causes any lasting damage to your computer or it's files -- and be aware, there are plenty of viruses that do damage files. They were both distributed as email attachments. With the gigantic growth rate of the internet and email, this has become one of the most common ways to distribute viruses. It hasn't always been so, and you should also be vigilant for another common source of viruses -- the humble floppy. You need to check every file that you receive, especially if the source is dubious. Anti Virus Software This brings us to a discussion about anti virus (AV) software. You do have an anti virus program running on your computer -- right? If not, you are just asking for trouble. And if you do have an AV program, are you using it properly, and do you make an effort to update the virus information? All of the major AV players had updates to their programs available for free download from their websites for the Melissa virus within hours of it's appearance. Any of the major AV vendors provides adequate protection. Some of the more popular are:
The Melissa virus isn't the first, and certainly won't be the last, virus to come along -- new viruses come out almost daily (there are many misguided , and some downright evil, people out there). When you have your updated AV software with updated signature files installed, you still need to configure it properly. You need to make sure that it's set to check your files as you access them for whatever reason (as you save them, open them, download them ... any access at all). Most good AV software offers this option, but you may have to explicitly enable the option. Check yours, and make sure that the AV software you've bought and installed is doing it's job of protecting you all the time. Even with AV protection installed and on the job, it is prudent to do a full scan of all of your hard drives on a regular basis. This is part of my regular weekly maintenance (which I will discuss more fully under the Basic Maintenance topic). This may take some time, depending on the size of your hard drive and number of files on it. Many people schedule a virus check to be run overnight. And most AV software will have scheduling options for you to be able to set regular automatic checks if you so desire (highly recommended). Paranoid Procedure The general rule is: DO NOT OPEN AN EXECUTABLE PROGRAM OR A WORD PROCESSING (OR SPREADSHEET) DOCUMENT THAT IS EMAILED TO YOU UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS. I generally hate the use of all-caps, but I think this warning warrants it. Many people are not aware that the number of executable (meaning that when these files are opened -- or launched -- they begin running) files is a large list, and growing. They include the common file extensions .EXE, .COM, .BAT, as well as the extensions for word processing documents .DOC, and spreadsheet documents .XLS. There are also various scripting file extensions for Java and ActiveX programs, and I am sure others that I am not aware of. The point is to be wary of ANY attachment to email, or file that you receive of unknown origin. Now, I realize that we all receive email with attachments all the time. What are we supposed to do, and how do we handle them? Well, I personally don't even open at least half of the attachments I receive. If I'm not sure of the source, I just delete it. But you needn't fear your email. Just follow this procedure for any questionable attachments: 1.) save any questionable attachment to disk in Outlook (other programs are similar): * click on the attachment icon (a paper clip) * you will get the Opening Mail Attachment dialog * choose "save to disk" NOT "open it" *select a temporary directory to save to 2.) open Windows Explorer and locate the file you just saved 3.) scan for viruses before opening or running (follow the procedures for your AV product) If you keep your virus definitions updated, and follow this procedure, it is unlikely that you will ever have a virus problem. To put things in perspective (and I know I am just invoking the Gods of Jinx upon me), you will probably not encounter anyone who receives more email or downloads more stuff off the net than me -- and I have yet to be infected with a virus. But I also have AV software running all the time, and exercise due caution with all files (not just email attachments). In short, just remember:
Specific Viruses Information on specific viruses. Their footprint (what they do and what they look like) and removal procedures.
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