Avoiding a Virus

One of the more misunderstood events that a computer user can face is an infection from a computer virus. In my experience in the computer field I have heard users attribute numerous acts on their computer to computer viruses such as rebooting, weird noises or something just plain not acting the way they think it should. While some of the things that I have heard described exhibit the signs of viruses not all are so, in fact most definitely are not. It is in the interest of dispelling some of this confusion that I am writing this article.

Let us start things off by defining what a virus actually is a computer virus is a program that spreads by infecting files or system areas of a computer and then making copies of itself. Some viruses are harmless, but irritating, others may damage data files, and a few may destroy files. In the past Viruses were spread when one shared media such as floppies or, later on flash drives, now viruses are also disseminated via email messages. Unlike their worm cousins, viruses generally require the user to take some sort of action to spring into action such as opening an email or booting the computer.

Now in contrast to viruses we also have something known as a worm which is somewhat similar to a virus except that human interaction is generally not required for them to spring into action. Worms tend to spread from computer to computer and use up resources such as memory and network bandwidth, which in turn can make a computer to stop responding or slow down networks. In some cases worms can also enable attackers to gain access to your computer remotely.

Another type of nasty computer program is a Trojan Horse which is piece of nasty code that hides inside a legitimate (or seemingly legitimate) program. A Trojan horse operates by making the user think it is doing one thing when in reality it does another (for example starting one program when in fact something else is happening behind the scenes). Trojan horses can be included in software that are downloaded for free from websites or attached to email.

How can you get infected by these programs? Well nowadays the most common way to get inflicted with a virus, worm or Trojan horse is via email. Since most email programs tend to support what is known as HTML the unknowing or uneducated user may click on a link in an email and then download something that infects them.

In order to avoid getting infected inadvertently by an email message you can exercise one of the simplest methods of avoiding infection which is to not open emails from people or sources you do not recognize. Of course not opening emails from people you don't know may be impossible to avoid for any number of reasons so the next logical step is to avoid opening email attachments your receive from people you don't know. Also selecting the option to view your email messages in plain text, not HTML, will also help to avoid a virus.

Let's look at some other tips to avoid viruses

-Install anti-virus software from a reputable vendor. Update it and use it regularly.
-In addition to scanning for viruses on a regular basis, install an "on demand" scanner (included in most anti-virus software packages) and configure it to start each time you start up your computer.
-Run a virus scan before opening any new programs or files that may contain executable code such as games, zip files or other similar content. Remember all content should be subject to this including the ones you purchase from a brick and mortar store.
-If you are a member of an online community or chat room, be very careful about accepting files or clicking links that you find or that people send you within the community, especially if you do not recognize that individual.
-Make sure you back up your data on a regular basis in the event of a catastrophic failure or infection.

Also keep in mind that the best form of defense is common sense, if you feel something isn't right it probably isn't.

Good luck, and see you next time