Kristen Ciferri

April 8, 2005

SLM 521

Elective #8 – Viruses

Virus Tip Sheet

Question	Answer
What is the difference between a virus, a worm, and a Trojan horse?	Viruses are manmade programs or piece of code that are often disguised games or images and usually end up causing problems to your computer. Computer Worms are viruses that reside in the active memory of a computer and duplicate themselves. They may send copies of themselves to other computers, such as through email or Instant Messenger programs. A Trojan horse program is a program that pretends to be a benign application, but purposefully does something the user does not expect. Trojans are not viruses since they do not replicate, but they can be just as destructive.
How can I get a virus?	You can only get a virus by downloading or opening an infected program from the Internet, your e-mail, or from your messenger service such as AIM or booting from an infected disc. You can not get a virus by being on the Internet
What do I do if I think I have a virus?	Visit McAfee's Free Scan or Symatec's Free Trialware to scan your computer or download free software to determine if you have a virus. If you think you acquired a virus from an e-mail, be sure to send the a letter (see below for an example) to the e-mail sender informing them that they have a virus.
What do I do if I have a virus?	Research the virus on either McAfee - Virus Removal Tools or Symantec Security Response - Removal Tools Page. Be sure to follow the directions to remove the virus properly.
How do I avoid getting a virus?	Make sure you have at least two backups for all of your files. Backups are essential not only to safely recover from virus infections, but also to recover from the other threats to your data. Be sure to check all new software for viruses. Be careful and skeptical about all things you download from the Internet, from your e-mail, or from your messenger service. Always have some type of virus scanner or disinfector program on your computer.
What is the difference between a virus scanner program and a virus disinfector program?	Scanner programs use signature strings, which are identifying pieces of code that the virus inserts. This program searches your computers memory, your files and system sectors for these files. It does not remove a virus from your computer, it just finds it. Disinfector programs are essentially the same as a scanner program, but they also remove the virus. Often when they remove the virus, they also damage the file.
What kind of software should I get to protect my computer from viruses?	Your virus software program should be able to do the following three things: 1. test files and directories for the presence of viruses, 2. clean infected files without damaging them, and 3. provide on-going real-time protection against memory resident viruses. You can also get software that protects against boot sector viruses and network viruses.
What do I do when nothing seems to work?	Call your computer’s tech support line or take your computer to a computer repair store such as Best Buy, Circuit City, or any locally owned store.

Example E-mail Notification Letter

Dear Friend,

Today I received an e-mail from you and unfortunately, it contained a virus. Please take the appropriate actions to remove the virus so that we are both out of harms way. If you need any help identifying or removing the virus, please feel free to contact me. Thank you in advance for your time and effort in this matter. Have a wonderful day!

Sincerely, Kristen Ciferri