What are computer viruses? How concerned should you be that you will 'catch' one while surfing the Net, and that it will destroy your computer system, and everything on it? What steps should you take to ensure that you are protected from the possible effects of a computer virus?

A virus is a malicious piece of programming which someone with too much time on their hands has written and released into the computer environment, either through online means, such as bulletin boards, or through hard media, such as infected disks. The virus code replicates itself wherever it can and then delivers its 'payload', which can range from the amusing (pop-up messages or pictures that ostensibly do no harm), to the wicked, such as re-formatting your hard drive, erasing all data therein.

What specifically should you do to protect yourself from the possibility of a computer virus? Whether you are connected to the Internet or not, you should protect your system and your work from viruses, to prevent their spread. Here are some simple, common steps everyone should take:

1. Backup all of your essential programs and data files onto protected media, such as tape drives or ZIP(r) disks. This simple act alone eliminates 99% of the threat of any virus, which is destruction or alteration of your data. VIRUSES CAN NOT DESTROY HARDWARE, i.e., 'break' your modem, your keyboard, or your hard drive. They can only affect SOFTWARE, including data files. Scheduled backups protect your data against virus activity.
2. Obtain and install a commercial or shareware Anti Virus Protection Software package, and update it regularly. There are multiple 'brands' of virus protection available. Picking one suitable for your needs is a matter of research and personal taste. Visit www.yahoo.com, and search for "virus" in the "Computer Software" section. Or visit http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Software/Reviews/ Individual/System_Utilities/Utilities/Anti_Virus/ for links to reviews of popular anti virus programs.
3. Only download software from sites you know and trust.
4. Scan all floppy disks before using them on your computer. Don't assume that your best friend won't infect you when he sends you a data file on disk - he may be unaware that he has the virus.
5. Don't repeat virus warnings without first consulting an expert with no vested interest in the spread of viruses, such as Rob Rosenberger's excellent site at http://kumite.com/myths/ .

The bottom line is that computer viruses are real, but can be easily protected against with a sensible approach such as the one outlined above. When weighed against the many benefits of being a member of the Internet community, the real or imagined threats of viruses shrink to insignificance.

Article by Kevin Bramlett (Kevin@WorldWideGuide.com) and WorldWide Guide, providers of unique and powerful Internet Instructional Video Courses, and publishers of ECOM: The Newsletter of Electronic Commerce (subscribe@WorldWideGuide.com). Find out how you can get a FREE Internet Business Video by visiting http://www.WorldWideGuide.com, and FREE Special Reports by autoresponder(GuideList@WorldWideGuide.com).

Additional Virus Protection Information

Preventive Medicine
Guidelines for avoiding viruses:

1. Back up your data regularly. While this isn't exactly "preventive," you'll be very glad you did it. Tape-backup units have come down greatly in price.
2. Use regularly updated anti-virus software. Since new viruses appear all the time, it's important to use AV software that's updated at least every four to eight weeks. The many good anti-virus programs available are mostly commercial, but many are shareware as well.
3. Employ the various scanning components of your AV software: non-virus-specific checksummers search for system changes; virus scanners warn of specific viruses; TSR scanners monitor all actions in the background.

PC Recommendations

Some of the most effective anti-virus products aren't widely known. Among the best is Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit. Another good AV product is F-PROT. They're easy to install, and you really don't need to set anything up to begin. Both include virus encyclopedias, and both scan for thousands of viruses.

Mac Recommendations

While there are more than 12,000 PC viruses, there are under 100 Mac viruses (different architecture - long story). Consequently, there aren't as many Mac AV products. But that doesn't mean Mac users are immune - there's recently been a spate of "macro" viruses that can affect and be spread by Macs using Microsoft products.

For basic virus protection, the freeware Agax is a good bet. This no-frills virus scanner uses "Additives" (plug-ins) to expand its virus-catching capabilities. Unfortunately, it can't help with macro viruses.

For more extensive virus and macro virus protection, you may want to consider a commercial product like McAfee's VirusScan, Symantec's Norton AntiVirus, or Dr. Solomon's Virex. These AV programs are easy to install, require virtually no setup, and allow you to start scanning for viruses immediately.

Remember, although it's always virus season on the Net, it's easy to practice virus-safe computing. For more information on viruses, check out our pages on Viruses Hoaxes and Famous Viruses and Anti-Virus Resources.