V i r u s e s

W h a t I s a V i r u s ?

Simply defined, a virus is a piece of software that is configured to harm your computer by altering the way it works. There are many different types of viruses, which behave and affect your computer differently. They may be as simple as a message imbedded in a window or as destructive as corrupting your hard drive.

Usually, a virus will spread itself from one file to another without your input or knowledge, because they encrypt themselves or mutate slightly each time that they replicate. They spread differently depending on what kind of virus they are.

Boot sector viruses append themselves to floppy disks. When you turn your system on or reboot it, the virus copies itself onto the boot sector of your hard drive. You cannot get this virus from sharing files or by executing a program - only from an infected disk.

Program sector viruses fasten themselves to executable files with other programs. Most will piggyback on EXE or COM files, but they can infect any file that your computer runs when it launches a program.

Macro viruses affect the template used to create documents or spreadsheets, thereby infecting every document or spreadsheet opened with the program.

E-Mail viruses can infect your computer before you even open an e-mail. For example, a virus named "Bubble Boy," which targets Outlook and Outlook Express, can be launched even if it only opens up in the preview window. Just highlighting the subject line in the preview window activates the code. It starts sending messages to everyone in your address book in an attempt to overload and crash the e-mail server.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

Taking defensive action is the best solution to protect your computer from the wiley viruses that loom in cyberworld. The following steps may not completely protect you from viruses, but they may help reduce your chances of encountering them.

Install antivirus software. No antivirus software is capable of protecting you from all viruses, but they act as a resourceful companion by helping you to scan incoming files and shared floppy disks and will keep you abreast of the latest viruses.

NOTE: Ensure that you update your antivirus software on a monthly basis.

Use diligence with all disks. Always scan disks from unknown sources with your antivirus software, especially disks that are shared by several people.

Download with care. Download all files from disks or shared files on a network into a special folder on your hard drive and scan them with your antivirus software.

Before reading attachments, scan them. Some e-mail programs will automatically open an attachment with the appropriate program. Disable this function so that you can scan attachments before they are opened.

Save shared files in RTF or ASCII format. Saving shared files in RTF or ASCII format will help prevent macro viruses, because neither format saves macros and formatting information.

WARNING! It is important to note that you will lose all of the format, so you may wish to consider the importance of the document before taking this course of action.

Back it up! Back up everything in a safe place that is separate from your hard drive.

Helpful links for virus information: