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Computer & E-mail Viruses:[1]

Tips for Students & Staff

Ashley S. Moss-Pham

 

 

 

Definitions

Viruses – a virus is a program or piece of code that “piggybacks” on other, legitimate computer programs to cause damage to your computer. This damage can range from a minor inconvenience to a catastrophic event (such as the destruction of your entire C drive). As its analogous name suggests, a virus can replicate itself from program to program, computer to computer, just as a biological virus can replicate itself, spreading from person to person.

 

E-mail viruses – e-mail viruses are like computer viruses in their effects, but their method of entry is different. Instead of piggybacking on an another computer program, e-mail viruses enter your computer via e-mail or e-mail attachments. They can also replicate themselves, sending themselves out in the form of more e-mail to everyone listed in your address book.

 

Worms – worms are small pieces of software that use computer networks to replicate themselves. Worms find small breeches in the security systems of computer networks and enter the network through these holes. They then start locating other security holes in other machines in the network and replicating themselves by those means.

 

Trojan horses – Trojan horses are computer programs with negative or damaging effects masquerading as harmless programs (like computer games, for instance). The user, who has been duped, installs the “harmless” program onto his/her computer only to realize too late that it will result in damage or destruction. Trojan horses are not self-replicating as viruses or worms are.

 

Tips for Avoiding Viruses

ü      NEVER OPEN files attached to an email from an unknown, suspicious, or untrustworthy source

 

ü      NEVER OPEN any files attached to an email unless you know exactly what is. Even if it is from a friend or relative, it could be a virus that raided their address book, thereby replicating itself by sending itself out to you. Confirm that the person actually sent you something before opening it.

 

ü      NEVER OPEN any files attached to an email if the subject line seems suspicious or is unexpected

 

ü      NEVER DOWNLOAD any files from strangers

 

ü      ALWAYS update your anti-virus software. Over 500 viruses are discovered each month, so you want to make sure that your anti-virus software is kept up-to-date.

 

ü      ALWAYS avoid downloading programs from unknown sources (like the Internet). Stick with commercial software purchases on CD’s and you virtually eliminate the risk of having your computer infected by a traditional virus

 

ü      ALWAYS make sure that your Macro Virus Protection is enabled. Go to Options;  Click on General; Go to bottom of check list of options and make sure Macro virus protection is enabled (has a check in the box). Hit OK.

 

ü      ALWAYS back up your important files. In the event that a traditional or email virus does make its way in to destroy your hard drive or corrupt many of your files, you will save yourself a lot of grief if a copy of your important data exists on CD or elsewhere.  ALWAYS SAVE YOUR WORK, PHOTOGRAPHS, ETC.!!! 

 

E-mail Virus Hoaxes: Definition & Suggestions

 

  • As their name suggests, email virus hoaxes are just that: hoaxes or tricks. They come in the form of an urgent email warning you of some devastating new virus and urging you to send the warning out to everyone you know. Don’t do it! Even though this may seem like a harmless enough prank, it has real, if unintended, consequences. The consequence is that, after receiving enough of these hoax warnings, users begin to ignore all virus warnings from any source, thus leaving us vulnerable to viruses. Instead of complying with the request to send the warning on, here is what you can do:

 

ü      When you receive a virus warning, check it out at http://sarc.com

Or http://vil.mcafee.com to see if the virus is legitimate. These sites will allow you to submit the name of the virus to a search database of known hoaxes and real viruses.

 

Once you have identified that the email about the virus is indeed a hoax, send an email to the sender informing him/her of that fact and explaining the ill effects of such hoaxes. Over time, this sort of response will discourage the practice of people sending emails about viruses that do not exist before checking out their validity.  See form letter below and feel free to use/adapt it the next time someone sends you such a hoax email.

 

 

Dear                                                   ,

 

You may not realize it, but you have sent me an urgent warning about a computer/email virus that does not exist. Although you were probably trying to do a good deed in passing this information along, this practice actually has negative, if unintended, consequences for other computer users. Over time, when we receive many such messages, we begin to ignore them. This creates a climate where we are all more rather than less vulnerable to viruses that actually exist.

 

The next time someone sends you such dire warnings about a computer or email virus, please take a moment to visit http://www.sarc.com or http://vil.mcafee.com to verify the existence of the virus before passing along the email warning to other users. These sites enable you to submit the name of the virus into a database that searches for all known viruses and virus hoaxes.

 

Thanks for your kind intentions and for considering my request,

 

                                                          A Fellow Concerned Citizen

 

 

 

 


[1] Definitions and tips included in this chart are adapted from the section of the McAfee website devoted to

information about viruses and virus protection software and the website How Stuff Works, “How Computer Viruses

Work” by Marshall Brain. http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?http://www.mcafee.com/anti-virus/default.asp

http://www.howstuffworks.com/virus.htm