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6.0 AN OVERVIEW OF COMPUTER VIRUS | |
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Detection
and
elimination
of
computer
virus Now
that
some
of
you
are
thoroughly
paranoid
that
a
nasty
computer
virus
will
come
and
destroy
your
system,
have
courage.
Remember,
the
chances
of
you
catching
a
computer
virus
are
really
not
all
that
high.
And
there
are
some
very
simple
measures
you
can
take
to
avoid
that
eventuality.
1)
FLOPPY
DISKS:
No
matter
what
the
source
(you
got
the
disk
from
a
friend
or
it's
brand
new,
right-out-of-the-package),
SCAN
IT!
You
simply
place
the
disk
in
your
floppy
drive
and
run
your
virus-scanning
program
(downloads
of
many
of
the
more
popular
ones
are
listed
below)
against
it.
Most
programs
will
give
you
options
as
to
what
you
want
to
do
if
a
virus
is
found
(remove
the
virus,
if
possible,
do
nothing,
delete
the
file
that
has
the
virus
in
it,
and
so
on).
2)
THE
INTERNET:
Don't
worry
about
browsing
around
the
Internet...
you
will
not
catch
a
virus
this
way.
Not
even
downloading
files
will
cause
you
to
get
a
computer
virus.
Installing
and
running
it
is
where
the
problems
lie.
So,
just
as
you
did
for
a
floppy
disk,
scan
it
before
you
install
and
run
it.
3)
EMAIL:
Read
your
email
as
usual.
Remember:
only
an
executable
file
can
contain
a
computer
virus.
If
you
get
an
attachment
to
the
email,
scan
it
before
you
run
it.
Also,
I
would
recommend
that
you
not
use
Microsoft
Word
(or
any
any
other
program,
for
that
matter)
as
your
default
email
reader.
Some
email
programs
like
Lotus
CCMail
have
this
feature.
If
your
email
package
has
a
feature
that
allows
you
to
use
another
program
a
reader,
I
would
disable
it.
4)
NETWORKS:
Most
large
companies
are
pretty
tight
on
virus
checking.
But
I
wouldn't
trust
it
completely.
Use
the
same
rules
as
for
everything
else
(scan
email
attachments,
disks
given
to
you
by
co-workers,
and
so
on).
Since
the
network
and
the
computer
belong
to
the
company,
they
are
the
ones
with
the
problem
and
are
usually
fairly
aggressive
checking
for
and
eliminating
viruses.
If
your
system
at
work
were
not
running
some
sort
of
virus
detection
and
removal
program,
I
would
contact
the
system
administrators
or
the
folks
in
the
MIS
department
for
more
information.
5)
JUST
IN
CASE:
"An
ounce
of
prevention..."
and
all
that.
Your
best
bet
is
to
always
maintain
backup
copies
of
files
you
just
can't
do
without
(like
your
financial
records,
personal
documents,
and
so
on).
That
way,
if
your
computer
does
get
infected
and
crash
beyond
repair,
you
will
at
least
have
the
important
stuff.
Tips
for
virus
avoidance 1)
Know
and
be
comfortable
with
the
source
of
your
software
acquisitions.
If
you
use
a
BBS
(Bulletin
Board,)
verify
that
the
BBS
is
reputable
and
that
it
has
satisfactory
procedures
in
place
to
check
out
its
software
as
well
as
provisions
to
prevent
that
software
from
being
modified.
Do
not
use
illegitimate
copies
of
software.
Be
sure
that
the
developer
of
the
software
you're
using
is
a
professional.
Note
that
many
"Shareware"
products
are
professionally
produced.
You
needn't
stop
using
them.
Just
be
sure
that
you
have
a
legitimate
copy
of
the
program
if
you
choose
to
use
these
products.
Don't
accept
free
software
that
looks
too
good
to
be
true. 2)
Install
a
professional
virus
protection
package
on
your
computer
that
will
alert
you
to
any
strange
goings
on. 3)
Provide
physical
security
for
your
computers.
i.e.:
Locked
rooms;
locks
on
the
computers;
etc. 4)
If
you're
unsure
of
a
disk
or
a
specific
program,
run
it
in
an
isolated
environment
where
it
will
not
be
able
to
do
any
damage.
i.e.:
Run
the
program
on
a
"diskette
only"
computer,
and
keep
a
write-protect
tab
on
your
"System
Disk." 5)
Establish
and
maintain
a
sound
Back-Up
policy. 6) Plan in advance the methods you'll use to ward off virus attacks. It's a far more effective use of management time to establish preventative measures in a calm environment instead of making panic decisions after a virus attack has occurred. Because there is no foolproof security and any security system can be broken by someone dedicated and knowledgeable enough to put forth the effort to break the system.
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