| |
Computer Virus
Webster's
dictionary defines a Virus as "Extremely small and simple life-forms, made
merely of a protein shell and a genome. A virus reproduces by inserting its
genome into the cells of other life-forms. As those cells duplicate, so does the
virus."
The same
thing holds true for computer virus, a virus is a type of file. When a file that
is a virus is opened on your computer it gives your computer a series of
commands, for example:
1. Draw a smiley face on the screen
2. Send this virus to everyone in the address book
3. Delete all the information on this computer.
Because a
virus is a file this means that it MUST be opened before it can affect your
computer. Viruses can use commands built into your operating systems (windows)
and then use these commands to cause havoc and sometime destroy all the data on
your computer hard drive. The command Del *.*, will erase everything in the
directory it is run from. (you do backup all of your important files inc. email,
correct?)
How does a virus get on my computer?
A virus can
get onto a computer in several ways.
1. Email
A regular email that consists of words that you get from a friend cannot have a
virus on it. But some email come with attachments.
Attachments can be pictures, sounds, animations and programs among other things.
users typically attach attachments with the attach command or the paper clip in
windows. A virus is a type of program. That means if you received a picture attached to
an email, it cannot be a virus. Only a program can be a virus. If you receive an
email with a virus attached, your computer may not yet have the virus. Before
the virus can affect the computer the attachment must be opened.
To summarize: One way a virus can get onto a computer from email, is by the user
opening an email attachment that contains a virus.
2.
Downloading programs
Another way a virus can get onto your computer is by being downloaded and opened
on your computer. I was recently prompted to update my windows from a site that
was not a Microsoft site when browsing the internet. Only Microsoft has genuine
updates, and all windows updates should come from Microsoft. (See the lower left
link on this site for the true Microsoft update)
A virus is a type of program. If you download a program from the internet, it
may have a virus with the program. After a program is downloaded it must be
opened or "installed" to your computer before it can perform it's function. When
the program is installed. if there is a virus with the program, the virus also
installs.
Websites
sometimes install “Cookies” on your computer. These little files can store
information about you, including your password and more. HTML files or web
images are frequently downloaded to your computer by sites you visit. These
files speed up later retrieval of the site making the experience more instant.
Malicious viruses can be attached to seemingly harmless sites, and when you
click on the site not only does the site open, but so does the virus.
Windows
Popups are also a type of virus, but they typically do not do harm. These
websites download a promotional message with the hope of nagging you into submission. The
more elicit the site the more danger from popups and virus. You can see why it
is best to stay away from Girls.com, Boys.com, Sex.com, Gambling.com and other
similar sites.
The last
and perhaps the most dangerous type of virus is from hackers. These assaults are
typically form individuals who use tools as a “Port Sniffer”. When run on their
computer, they look for open ports and shared drives on remote computers over the
Internet. They can then download snooping devices, and malicious code to mess up
your computer. Recently a main US Government website was hacked, code was
downloaded and the main web page was changed. The individuals that did this are
now in Jail.
How can I avoid viruses?
There is
only ONE sure way to avoid getting viruses on your computer. It is (of course)
not to ever open any attachments and to never download programs from the
Internet.
Unfortunately with this option you miss out on a lot of really interesting
things. Luckily for us there is another way that, when properly kept up, works
almost as well as the first option.
A Virus scanner is a program that runs on your computer and looks for viruses.
Virus scanners can be very useful if they scan attachments and programs before
you open them for the first time. If a virus scanner finds a virus it will give
you a message asking what you'd like done with the virus. At that point you can
delete the virus and go on with your happy day.
The virus scanner recognizes viruses by a list. This is a list of all the
"known" viruses. Unfortunately new viruses come out very often and therefore
that list must be constantly updated. The company that makes your virus scanner
will provide reminders and most have an automated update service available.
Occasionally daily updates are necessary in a period of high virus activity.
You can
purchase a virus scanner with your computer, from your local computer store or
from over the Internet. On our website we offer a free virus tool from AVG,
lower left link. This
tool is used extensively in Europe and the US, we have found it to be very
effective, see the link at the lower left to download the free version. You will
also find a link there to remove Popups from Lavasoft, there is a free version
offered that is quite effective.
Networked
computers can become mutually infected. It is therefore a good idea not to share
the root of any computers drive (a hand under a folder denotes a shared folder
as seen in Explorer), as local disc C:\. If you must share files, share only the
directory containing the data or application files, never the root. Windows XP
Service pack 2 does a good job of providing a firewall and restricting access,
however it does block network database activity in some cases, and you may not
be able to share your TimeLegal database or others. Contact your IT department
or our support for assistance if you have this problem.
Hardware
and software firewalls are also available. These programs and devices hide your
network connection from Internet users and hackers preventing sniffing of the
ports, and files are checked before download. While not 100% safe these devices
offer the highest level of protection and they are recommend in a business
environment where any data is stored.
|
|
