Time spent on the PC or the Internet is
never fool-proof. An innocent looking e-mail attachment,
a loophole in the operating system and a simple encased
floppy disk. And the next thing you know, the repair man
is telling you that your system will have to be formatted.
And that previous data of yours, well you can just forget
all about it.
I am sure most of you know that a virus
is harmful for your PC. But if you aren't sure what a
computer virus is, then check out http://www.actlab.utexas.edu/~aviva/compsec/virus/whatis.html.
The virus is defined here as a 'parasitic program' that
infiltrates your PC without your knowledge or permission
and affects your precious files and data. Another site
http://www.ucs.ed.ac.uk/usd/iss/ol/issues/viruses/whatis.html
goes further by explaining the different types of viruses
that exist, from boot sector virus, macro virus, worm
Trojan horse and e-mail virus. For each virus explanations
are available as how they enter your computer and what
damage they can cause.
Probably the most common misconception
is to use the terms virus, worm and Trojan interchangeably.
No doubt all three are bad news for your PC, but nonetheless
there is a difference that is explained at http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/docid/1999041209131106.
This link explains all the three terms and goes on to
differentiate between the different types of viruses.
You can also test whether or not your own notions of what
a virus is are correct or not, as this web site also deals
with what is not a virus (but can be considered as such).
The PC Virus Workshop Handout at http://web.gc.cuny.edu/dept/ccent/info/virus.htm
also disseminates some useful information about viruses
in general. The handout is presented in the form of Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ) which deals with common, but important
questions like why should you care if there is a virus
on your PC, means to discover whether or not your PC has
been infected with a virus, how to use antivirus programmes
and most importantly, how to carry out do-it-yourself
measures to protect your PC, such as write-protecting
your floppy disks.
McAfee Security has its own Virus Information
Centre at http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp where
you can access a wealth of information. The home page
will let you know of the recent virus threats and how
to combat them. The virus removal tools will provide you
with the appropriate fixes. There is a virus calendar
which will inform you of the different times of the months
and years when certain viruses become active and wreak
havoc with your system. The section on virus hoaxes should
give you something to refer to when someone forwards the
supposed virus threats. There are also a whole lot of
newsletters which you can subscribe to receive this information
in your e-mail as soon as it becomes available. In the
end, I advise you to go through the Anti-Virus Tips section
for information on how to detect and protect yourself
from viruses.
One place where you can purchase a range
of anti virus software is http://www.antivirus.com. Apart
from reviews on the best picks of antivirus software,
this site also offers loads of information on the recent
virus threats. You can browse through the Virus Encyclopaedia
to find out which virus is capable of what. Probably the
best part of this web site is that it offers to do a free
scan of your PC. So if you're thinking that your PC is
not infected, you might just be in for a good shock. The
more technical users can browse through the white papers
on information on malware, malicious code and architectural
impact on performance if your PC is infected. If you maintain
your own web site you can also add some virus updates
to it as well.
For more information on how to protect
your PC from viruses check out http://aolcom.com.com/4520-6600_7-5021309-1.html.
It has a six-step protection plan which includes updating
your windows to download the latest security patches,
refraining from opening unsolicited e-mail attachments,
keeping yourself informed of the latest virus threats,
installing an antivirus software, scanning your system
with it regularly and updating your software frequently
to ensure it offers protections against the latest virus
definitions.
More steps to protect your PC from viruses,
worms and Trojan horses are given at http://www.securityguide.us/article.php?story=20030910184604708&mode=print.
These steps include installing a good firewall (check
out http://www.zonelabs.com) and making a backup of your
system just in case.
And where will you get free antivirus
downloads? Anti Virus Security and Free Downloads at http://download.com.com/3150-2239-0.html?tag=dir
is one web site worth checking out. It contains a whole
bunch of tools to combat the threats of viruses, worms
and Trojan horse, all on one web site. You can also check
out more anti virus utilities at http://pcxtreme.co.uk/antivirus/antivirusAtoM.html.
Where it is all too well to be informed,
there is such a thing as 'too informed'. You must keep
in mind that some virus threats are a hoax and it doesn't
do to create hype about them in cyberspace. And you can
learn more about them at http://www.vmyths.com/. Related
to all these virus hoaxes it lists all the virus threats
circulated through e-mail that are nothing but a hoax
or urban legend. It also teaches you how to spot a virus
hoax. Answer a few questions here whenever you receive
a virus threat e-mail and you will most certainly know
whether it is genuine or not. In the end, it also urges
you to stop these hoaxes and outlines the necessary how-to.
The threat of viruses is a very real one.
In the end, it all falls down to us, innocent PC users
to keep on scanning our systems and updating our security
software. But if it does prove to be a guarantee of safeguarding
our data, then I guess all the hard work is worth it.
