Virus Protection Tips!

Dear Clients,

We would like to share with you some tips on how to protect against e-mail propagated viruses even without spending your fortune on anti-virus software. Please read on and if you have any further questions do not hesitate to contact us for further clarification.

ARE YOU SAFE FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES?

Sooner or later you WILL receive an email that contains a computer virus. But if you understand a few simple concepts about email and viruses, there is really nothing to worry about. We've been using email for twenty years, and we receive hundreds of messages daily. Even though we get viruses in our inbox almost every day, we've NEVER been affected by one. If you take a few minutes to read and apply the following concepts to your own email handling, you can have the same protection and peace of mind without buying any expensive anti-virus software.

FACTS ABOUT COMPUTER VIRUSES

You CANNOT get a virus just by opening or reading your email. This is true even if your cousin has a friend who swears it happened to his neighbor. Many widespread virus hoaxes have circulated the Net for years, claiming that if you open an email with a certain Subject line, then untold horrors will beset your computer. It's just not true. A virus cannot leap out of your inbox and infect your computer without some help from you!

Here are some facts you should know: + Some emails have attached files, in addition to the message body; + Email attachments can be good (photos, music) or bad (a virus); + It is safe to open and read the message body of ANY email, even if that email has an attached virus. In order for a computer virus to affect you, it requires some explicit action on your part. Let me explain with an analogy: Imagine someone has mailed you a loaded gun. You can't get hurt just by looking at your mailbox. You can't get hurt just by taking the package out of the mailbox. You CAN get shot if you take the gun out of the package, aim it at your head, and pull the trigger.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

So what is the "explicit action" required to activate a virus that arrives in an email attachment? It's as simple as clicking on the attachment. Depending on your email program, this will either save the file to your hard disk or activate the virus immediately. It really is that simple... don't click on an attachment and you will never get a computer virus.

So how can you tell the difference between good attachments and those that contain a virus? In some cases, you can't. Anti-virus software may help, but if the virus is a recent one, your anti-virus package may not be able to detect it. Here are some practical tips to help you decide whether or not to open an attachment: If you get an email with an attachment from someone you don't know, delete it. You don't take candy from strangers, and you should behave the same with email attachments. If you get an email with an attachment from a friend, don't assume it's harmless! Many viruses spread by automatically sending themselves to the addresses found in the victim's address book, and they often include something in the message body that looks like a personal message from your friend. Unless you are very computer savvy, and you can tell for sure from the name of the attached file that it's not a virus, then CALL or EMAIL your friend and ask if they meant to send you an attachment. If they say no, then obviously you should delete the message and let them know THEY are probably infected with a virus. If they say yes, AND they can explain what it is (photos of the family picnic, etc.) then it should be safe to open the attachment.

SEMI-TECHNICAL NOTE:

Take care when checking the filename of an attachment as a guide to whether you should open it. The standard behavior of Windows is to hide the file extension (the last three characters) when filenames are displayed. Some virus writers take advantage of this and create files with names such as HAPPY.JPG.SCR, which will display as HAPPY.JPG. It appears to be a harmless JPG (photo) file, but is really a nasty virus. To force Windows to display the entire filename, open Windows Explorer, click on View / Folder Options / View, then UNcheck the "Hide file extensions for known file types" option.

IN A NUTSHELL

If you remember nothing else about computer viruses, try to keep these four facts in mind: (1) - You can't get a virus just by reading your email; (2) - A virus cannot attack without your help; (3) - Never open an attachment unless you're sure it was sent on purpose, and the sender can explain what it is; (4) - Never ever open an e-mail attachment with executable file with extension ".exe", ".com", ".scr" or ".vbs".

ARE WE ANTI-ANTI-VIRUS?

Are we saying that anti-virus software is useless? For most people, yes. If you follow the guidelines in these tips, and you handle only attachments that contain photos or sound/music files, anti-virus software is a waste of money and can make your computer slower and less reliable. If you deal with word processor files, spreadsheets, or download from sites that don't guarantee virus-free software, then using an anti-virus program may be a good idea. But be aware that it can only protect you from the viruses it KNOWS about. We've heard from LOTS of people who faithfully kept their anti-virus software updated, but they still got the I LOVE YOU virus (or one of the many variants) because of careless email handling. You should also update your email and web browser software at least every six months. Older versions may have security flaws that allow unauthorized access to your system.

MORE HELPFUL RESOURCES

Learn about computer virus myths, hoaxes, and urban legends at Rob Rosenberger's excellent Vmyths.com site " www.vmyths.com"; Try Central Command's Free Online Virus Scanner "www.centralcommand.com/scan.html"; Symantec AV Center offers information on the lastest virus threats, removal tools, and a Virus Encyclopedia "www.symantec.com/avcenter". We understand that some people will disagree with our advice about the best way to protect yourself from computer viruses. But we believe that education is the key, rather than software that gives a false sense of security.