techsupport/security/virus.html
Exposure to computer viruses, worms and trojan horses is
an unfortunate risk accompanying Internet and network access. Viruses can end up attached
to your e-mail, downloaded data, show up on your hard drive, or even get saved to your server. Below are some
safety tips to help you reduce your risk.
Anti-Virus Software
First and
most important, use an anti-virus program
and keep the virus templates regularly updated on your system. Updates may be
fee based after an initial period of time, but it is an excellent investment.
Some popular anti-virus software vendors include:
Network Associates - McAfee
Symantec - Norton
Anti-virus software should scan your computer regularly upon start up and
periodically during idle time, and most current versions will also scan all new
files you open from outside on your system, whether from a floppy disk, a
server, an e-mail attachment, or a download.
E-mail and Attachments
You cannot catch viruses just by reading your
e-mail. However, you can expose you computer to viruses by opening the
wrong e-mail attachment. Be wary of file attachments, either data files or
executable files. Only open attachments that come from a known, reputable
source. That doesn't mean that the most recent forward on a chain of
forwards is from someone you know, but rather that the creator of the file is
known and reputable.
Downloading Files
You cannot catch viruses if you just browse through web
pages. You will probably not catch viruses if you download software,
graphics, audio and video files from the web sites of well-known
vendors. However, downloading from unknown sources can be risky.
Back Up Data
Back up your data regularly to an external source like a zip
drive, a tape drive, or a file server if on a network. Few people take the time
to do this, but it can be automated and fairly low maintenance. It's an
excellent investment in a fast, effective recovery should you have virus or
other software or hardware problems.
Virus Hoaxes
Many of the virus scare letters that travel the Internet via e-mail and bulletin board posts are hoaxes. Some
experts feel that only about 10% of this traffic is concerning real
computer viruses, and the rest are hoaxes. Before forwarding any virus
warning on to other users, please go to one of the above vendor web sites and
search for the particular problem by name in their extensive libraries of
virus and hoax information.
