Anti Virus Tips

Anti Virus Tips

The Internet is going through a very dangerous phase. As businesses continue to adopt Anti Virus Tips

Internet-based communication and productivity tools, Spammers and virus authors continue their quest to compromise those systems.

Computer users need to be prepared for attacks by enforcing Internet-usage policies, educating themselves on the dangers of violating those policies and aligning themselves with the right vendors and partners. Check Out these Virus Detection and Prevention Tips...

Last Updated - 3rd October 2005

Do not open any files attached to an e-mail from an unknown, suspicious or untrustworthy source.

Do not open any files attached to an e-mail unless you know what it is, even if it appears to come from a dear friend or someone you know. Some viruses can replicate themselves and spread through e-mail Better be safe than sorry and confirm that they really sent it.

Do not open any files attached to an e-mail if the subject line is questionable or unexpected. If the need to do so is there always save the file to your hard drive before doing so.

Delete chain e-mails and junk e-mail Do not forward or reply to any to them. These types of e-mail are considered spam, which is unsolicited, intrusive mail that clogs up the network.

Do not download any files from strangers.

Exercise caution when downloading files from the Internet. Ensure that the source is a legitimate and reputable one. Verify that an anti-virus program checks the files on the download site. If you're uncertain, don't download the file at all or download the file to a floppy and test it with your own anti-virus software.

Update your anti-virus software regularly. Over 500 viruses are discovered each month, so you'll want to be protected. These updates should be at the least the products virus signature files. You may also need to update the product's scanning engine as well.

Back up your files on a regular basis. If a virus destroys your files, at least you can replace them with your back-up copy. You should store your backup copy in a separate location from your work files, one that is preferably not on your computer.

When in doubt, always err on the side of caution and do not open, download, or execute any files or e-mail attachments. Not executing is the more important of these caveats. Check with your product vendors for updates which include those for your operating system web browser, and e-mail . One example is the security site section of Microsoft located at http://www.microsoft.com/security.

Install a firewall and block incoming and outgoing traffic that is not needed for business use.

Do not use peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing Web sites and applications such as Kazaa and Napster. Many of the recent viruses can be transmitted through the use of these applications.

Be Warned about the detrimental effects of downloading applications and offensive content from the Internet. Many Internet users do not realize that downloading "neat" applications or pornographic materials from UN-trusted sites can install "spy-ware" on their computer and compromise networks.

Do not open attachments from unknown persons. When you receive an attachment that you are not expecting you should always confirm with the sender that the attachment is legitimate before opening it.

Make sure that your IT administrator or e-mail service provider specifically blocks executable attachments in order to block malicious programs and increase the chances of blocking viruses during the early stages of an outbreak.

Make sure that your IT administrator or e-mail service provider is blocking dangerously formatted emails such as e-mails that take advantage of Microsoft Outlook vulnerabilities to hide attachments.

Install virus-scanning software. Schedule the software to automatically update the virus definitions daily.

Keep operating systems and other software applications up-to-date. Vulnerabilities are discovered in most software applications over time and virus authors will take advantage of these vulnerabilities.

If and when a virus is detected, we recommend taking the following course of action:

As soon as you realize that your computer is infected, take the computer off your network so that fixes can be installed without the risk of further spread. An infected computer behind a firewall can infect other computers behind that same firewall.
Once you discover what type of virus has infected the computer, check with your anti-virus provider to see if they have any related removal instructions or tools available for download. Avoid connecting to the Internet to download the patches. Instead, download them on a separate computer and copy the files via floppy disk or writable CD. If you must connect to the Internet to download the patches, do so from an isolated Internet connection, such as dial-up, to prevent infecting other computers on your network.
If you do not know what type of virus has infected your computer, download an up-to-date copy of your virus scanning definitions and run a scan on your computer. Follow similar download precautions mentioned above.
Depending upon the level of damage performed by the virus, an entire operating system reinstall may be needed.
According to industry experts, the MyDoom virus has now surpassed the SoBig.F virus from last August and is now the fastest spreading computer worm ever.
Viruses will continue to take advantage of vulnerabilities in software applications, specifically bugs in popular Internet applications such as Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express and Internet Explorer. Your mail virus scanner must be able to detect viruses that take advantage of the e-mail vulnerabilities found in Microsoft Outlook.

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