Billy Kavalos

SLM 521

Jona French

Virus Tip Sheet

What is a virus?

A virus is a program that can infect your system and the programs on your system. Once those programs or files are executed, the virus itself executes and causes those programs to malfunction. Viruses can replicate themselves and spread their code into other programs on the computer’s hard drive. This can be very annoying and problematic. Infected computers may lose data or become corrupt altogether, causing startup and stability problems. A virus can be distinguished from other malicious scripts, such as worms or Trojan horses, because of their ability clone/replicate and spread.

How are viruses transmitted?

Viruses can be transmitted through phone lines, cables, or through memory disks (floppy disks, etc…). The majority of viruses are actually passed along through floppy disks; because floppy disks are very mobile and often are used at multiple computers, they are at high risk of picking up a virus at one of those computers. Remember, viruses are able to spread rapidly onto many programs and files, so any file saved on a floppy disk from an infected computer may be infected itself. Each subsequent computer that reads that floppy disks and opens the file or runs the program may become infected.

The Internet is another method of transfer for viruses and with our growing reliance on Internet connectivity, viruses are becoming increasing dangerous. An Internet connection is the constant transfer of data over your phone line, cable, or satellite, depending on your connection type. When connected to the World Wide Web, your computer is uploading and downloading information with each click of the mouse. This opens your computer up to the danger of downloading a malicious script. Email or file transfers over the Internet are also becoming popular means of transportation for viruses. With the ability to send to hundreds of recipients, virus spreaders use seemingly innocent emails to spread harmful viruses. Once the email is opened and the file attachment is run, the virus is copied onto the receiving computer, where it can wreak havoc.

How do I prevent my computer from getting a virus?

There are many steps that one can take to prevent viruses from infecting their computer. First and foremost, all computers should have some sort of virus protection program running at all times. Norton and McAfee are a few examples of programs that run in the background and constantly protect your computer. These programs scan files being downloaded, outgoing and incoming emails, hard drives, and floppy disks. Some even scan files before they are opened. For example, Norton will scan an Excel spreadsheet for a virus before Excel opens the file. Virus protection programs are critical in today’s computer environment, where there are thousands of viruses around and new ones being written every day. Another benefit of these programs is their constant virus definition updates. Users of the programs can download new virus definitions to stay up to date and keep their computer safe from all the new viruses. If the program finds a potential virus, it warns you and then gives you the option to delete or quarantine the file. A full hard drive scan for viruses should also be done at least once a week for maximum protection. Computer owners should also always scan a floppy disk that has been used at other computers before opening any of the files on that disk.

Even with these advanced programs, viruses can still spread. Not all viruses are recognized by these programs. For this reason it is important to only open emails from recognized or known sources. If an email seems suspicious or has an attachment that requires you to run a program, it could be harmful and therefore should be deleted. Be very careful of these emails and be aware that program files end with the .exe extension. Also, computers on a network are at a higher risk for virus transfer because of their constant connectivity to all the other computers on that network. Be wary of sharing files between networked computers and your home or personal computers through floppy disks or even email. Also, if you notice that a program or files is not running normally, this could mean a virus is present. Do not share this file with anyone else.

As stated earlier, people often send viruses over email, whether they are aware of it or not. People send emails telling the recipient to forward the email to everyone they know. These chain letters are an easy way to reach and infect hundreds of people. At times, the email itself will be an actual warning of a virus, suggesting that you send the email to more people to in turn warn them. Sometimes these emails are actually a method of transportation for the virus itself. Be skeptical of these emails and never forward them to others. These emails, along with other hoaxes can often be checked out at such sites as Symantec and McAfee. These sites give the latest information on current virus threats, worms, Trojan horses, or hoaxes. They are also a good resource for learning more about viruses and other threats.

What do I do if I think my computer has a virus?

If you notice that your computer is acting “funny” or differently, you should perform a virus scan with one of the programs discussed above or another virus program. The popular ones are McAfee and Norton Antivirus. You can find out more about these programs at www.mcafee.com and www.symantec.com, respectively. If you have a virus program, make sure the virus definition are up to date so that all new viruses will hopefully be found. Perform a full system scan and also scan any floppy disks that have been shared with other computers. If a virus is found, the program should inform you of your options for ridding your computer of the infection. There are also online virus scanning utilities that you can use if you do not have a program on your computer. Sites such as Trend Micro provide a free virus scan from their website. Visiting the link provided will allow a user to do a full system scan on their computer to see whether a virus has infected your hard drive.