Viruses and Worms

Computer viruses are becoming more insidious. Not only are they spreading like wild fire but a user no longer has to take any action to receive one. Simply logging on to the internet is sometimes enough.

I work from home. I use a laptop and a DSL connection. This scenario has left me vulnerable, as I imagine many home computer users are. It used to be that the general rule was to avoid attachments that looked suspicious. This is still a good practice, but it is not enough.

My days spent trying to rid my laptop of the viruses and the damage they caused has taught me a few things.

First, be very careful about what attachments you open. Some viruses are spread so effectively that they infect hundreds of thousands of PCs. A recent virus called MyDoom has infected between 400,000 and 500,000 machines. It was spread through email.

Avoiding suspicious looking email is not enough. Some viruses are distributed from web sites and all a user needs to do is go to the infected site. You can pick up some viruses that easily. There is little you can do to avoid them completely if you use the internet. Anti-virus software will help.

Not only do you need to have the software, you should set it up to scan your computer every time you boot up. Update the virus definitions frequently. Last week I updated mine every day, and there was something new each day. This is not to say that there will be a new update every day, but check often. For example, between May 17th and 21st Symantec identified 16 different virus threats and posted downloads for correcting and/or avoiding each of them.

Another tactic that seems (so far) to be effective for me is to change browsers. I am currently using Mozilla, which has some protection built in. It is free from www.Mozilla.com.

And lastly, add a router to your home computer. Almost all the routers on the market provide some protection. Even if you do not need it, adding one for less than $100 will be well worth the money.

I spent almost two days last week trying to outsmart the viruses and worms that attacked my new laptop. This was unproductive time. The amount of money you will spend on antivirus software and a router will be money well spent.

If you have any additional suggestions on avoiding viruses, please send them to me at the address below. I will follow up with another article including any new ideas you have.