Viruses on the Internet and e-mails are becoming more
and more prevalent. The biggest contributor of spreading viruses is
ignorance. By learning just a little bit about viruses you can help
avoid the spread of them as well as protect yourself from being
infected. Here are some Do's & Don'ts to help you out:
Install an anti-virus software on your
system that will alert you to viruses that are attacking. Most
importantly that it will check incoming email. Check out
Norton or
AVG AntiVirus.
Make sure you do regular updates for your
anti-virus software so that it will recognize the latest viruses on
the net.
Beware of attachments. Most of all viruses
come as attachments in e-mail, many of which, are from people you
know. The viruses are being sent automatically from a computer that
is infected and the person sending is not even aware that they are
sending it to you. If someone you don't know sends you an
attachment, it is best that do not open it and simply delete it.
Install a firewall. If you are on a
permanent connection such as DSL, Cable, or some other sort of
broadband service you may be vulnerable to hackers and Trojan
viruses. Routers may give you some protection as a firewall or you
may install a software program such as
BlackIce or
ZoneAlarm.
How can I tell if I have a
worm or other virus?
When you open and run an infected program, you might
not know you've contracted a virus. Your computer may slow down, stop
responding, or crash and restart every few minutes. Sometimes a virus
will attack the files you need to start up a computer. In this case, you
might press the power button and find yourself staring at a blank
screen.
All of these symptoms are common signs that your
computer has a virus—although they could also be caused by hardware or
software problems that have nothing to do with having a virus. Beware of
messages warning you that you sent e-mail that contained a virus. This
may mean that the virus has listed your e-mail address as the sender of
a tainted e-mail. This does not necessarily mean you have a virus. Some
viruses have the ability to forge e-mail addresses.
Unless you have up-to-date antivirus software
installed on your computer, there is no sure way to know if you have a
virus or not. If you don't have current antivirus software or if you're
interested in installing a different brand of antivirus software, please
call us.
