S-o-B-i-g, M-y-D-o-o-m, Love Bug- these are
the viruses who have in the past wrecked
havoc all over the world as giant multinationals
and common people alike helplessly witnessed
their email system getting clogged, files
disappearing without leaving a trace
and computers shutting down with a hiccup.
The ingenuity and the rapidity of the
actions of these viruses often leave
people momentarily stunned. Each such
attack raises a wave of questions as
the computer gurus work out possible
measures to stop them and track down
the mastermind.
So what are the kinds
and varieties of viruses that are striking
the computers
everyday? Here's a crash course on
some forms of viruses. A virus code is
written with the intension that it replicates
itself and multiplies and sends itself
from one computer to another by attaching
itself with a host program. A worm is a
type of virus, which spreads without any
possible action by the user and replicates
itself across the network, exhausting both
bandwidth and memory. The Trojan Horse
is the potent program that has the capacity
to cause wide range devastation.
Let's put the basic question
first. Why do these viruses affect so many
people?
Simply put, the users open the mail attachments
without cross checking from the sender.
The virus programmer plays the part of
the perfect conman, who lures the recipient
to the trap of opening the attachment.
The recipient is made to believe that a
friend or an acquaintance has sent the
mail. It so happens that often the virus
spreads automatically by sending itself
to the addresses found in the victim’s
address book with something in the message
body, which resembles a personal note.
But you can easily avoid being a victim
in the hands of a potent virus. If one
follows some simple steps, then keeping
your PC clean is not a problem. First of
all the user must have a Firewall for the
network connections to log into the Internet
with a cable modem, DSL modem or a dial-up
modem. However this is best for a single
computer and not for the ones with a LAN
connection. In that case it is better to
use a router to ensure safety as well as
convenience of the user.
Security updates must
be strictly implemented as soon as they
are available. Install
the security updates for Windows or Windows
components such as the Explorer, Outlook
Express and Windows Media Player whenever
available. But most importantly you must
use the latest anti-virus software and
even then update it once a week to feel
somewhat safe. The pain is worth the gain.
Most of the anti virus programs now have
the "Auto Update" option and
the software automatically downloads the
latest updates whenever the computer is
on.
But finally the easiest possible way to
avoid the virus is not to fiddle with suspicious
or even apparently innocent attachments.
You should not at all open any attachment
from any stranger and even when it is from
a known friend you should ensure from him/her
about the content of the attachment. If
you have even an iota of suspicion then
don’t touch it. However your PC cannot
be affected by reading the body message.
If you follow these few simple guidelines
then your computer has a better chance
to remain immune to the viral threat and
lead a healthy and cheerful life. So stick
to these rules and keep the pc doctor away.
But if it is too late for prevention then click here for a full range of IT services
including virus removal.
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