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The following has been included with permission from Chris, Webmaster of Riverland.net.au. It is an article Chris wrote for Chris's Corner and I thought it was so simply written and informative, I wanted to include it on Cooinda Online web site.
Thanks Chris.
A Virus in a human is a cell that
replicates itself and harms the bodiessystem, making you feel sick.
This is much the same in a computer.
A Computer virus is a piece of code (a small program) that can duplicate
itself and spread via Floppy Disks, Networks and of course the Internet
to many computers. Some are harmful, they can format your hard drive,
erase your computers BIOS and cause programs to crash. Others are a nuisance,
simply bringing up messages periodically or playing a tune, and some just
sit there doing nothing but taking space.
The Latest 'Virus', the 'I Love
You', is what is known as an internet 'Worm'. Although it does move
files around on your computer, It's main purpose was to replicate as fast
as possible, by reading addresses from address books and sending itself
to all those addresses.
How are Viruses transmitted?
The first thing to mention here is that you CAN NOT catch or transmit viruses
just by reading your e-mail. Viruses can only be attached to some files,
such as word documents and exe files. It is perfectly safe to read
a message labelled 'I Love you'. It's the file attached with it that
causes the damage. The only exception to this is with (shock, horror)
Microsoft products. Some versions of Outlook and Outlook Express,
have an Auto Preview function. When a message is opened, the program automatically
opens the attachment for you, activating the virus. Apparently Microsoft
thought this was a good idea.
Infected files don't only come through
the e-mail. They can come from Disks, or just downloaded straight
from a website. Basically if it's a files you can execute, then it
is possibly for a virus to attach itself. Pictures are safe because
you are only viewing the file, not running it.
So how do I minimize the risk of
a virus? The easiest way to protect yourself
is to get a Virus Scanner. The one I have most experiance with is Norton
Antivirus, which retails for around $99. Most AV programs run in
the background all the time. If you download and open a file, it will be
checked automatically first. The main thing to remember is not all
programs will protect against a new virus, so some common sense is still
needed.
Common sense basically means don't open any files you aren't sure about. The worst part is it will normally be sent by a trusted source, because of the way it spreads. If you are not expecting a file, don't open it. Another way is simply refuse to open, Or send, Word document files, or .exe files. Instead of sending a .doc file, send a .rtf file, or a .txt file. They are more compatible with other programs, and cannot carry a virus. To save as a .rtf or .txt file, when saving a document, click in the box 'Save as Type' and select another file type.
Remember, most viruses only spread
because of peoples lack of understanding. If no one e-mailed
.doc files, viruses such as 'I
Love You' and 'Melissa' would be a lot rarer. Please everyone, start
using .rtf and .txt formats !
Chris
Chris's Corner at Riverland.net.au
When you an email telling you too immediately e-mail to everyone you know, that's your tip off that it is a hoax. Never pass on anything doubtful without checking it out.
Virus Glossary.
Virus
Cleaning.
These will take you to their databases
where you will be able to identify the virus and get specific help
in cleaning it off of your system.
Virus
Protection.
Bogus
Software Offers.