Just
as a cold virus affects us to varying degrees, a computer virus affects our computers.
A computer virus is a unfriendly code buried in a program. Once activated, it
attaches itself to other programs and spreads quickly. You can catch them from
disks, e-mail, the Internet or any new media introduced to your computer. When
left untreated they can cause severe injury to your machine.
Most viruses stay active in memory until you turn off your computer. When you
turn off the computer you remove the virus from memory, but not from the file,
or disk it has infected. So the next time you use your computer, the virus program
is activated again and the infection spreads.
Viruses take control of your computer without you knowing and can cause your computer
to behave strangely. For example, beeps or crashes occur without notice. In some
instances, a trigger date is set in the virus. You may have received it last month,
but it was not set to activate until later.
Anti-Virus programs are available to help us protect our machine. They scan the
computer searching for viruses. If a file is found that has been infected by a
known virus it is eliminated automatically. Although unknown viruses cannot be
eliminated, these programs will search for suspicious activity and prevent the
action from continuing.
When a new virus appears, it is researched and added to the list of known viruses.
For this reason, you need to update your virus program regularly. Most Anti-Virus
Programs come with subscription services for a 12-month period. New viruses are
being written all the time. If you don't have the latest protection, you are not
protected from the most recent viruses.
So what can you do to protect yourself? Scan all files you receive before loading
them into your computer. Be careful of sharing programs. They are a great nesting
place for viruses. Make sure you trust the sender and scan all files before you
open them. Regularly download the newest release of your virus scan program and
get in the habit of confirming your virus scan is running. You may even wish to
run it manually.
There are many good virus scans on the market - Norton Anti-Virus and McAffee
are two of the majors. Do your research then pick the virus scan program that
is right for you.
