Info on how to defeat viruses, trojan horses, and other common computer problems, including a guide on how to tell them apart.
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Imagine this scenario.
You get back to your job after a long, relaxed weekend. A cup of coffee in your hand, you start to work through the quite numerous emails in your Outlook inbox. Something from the receptionist, something from an engineer...suddenly your screen is black. You check the connections, which are fine, then you try everything you know to fix the computer; basically, you yell obscenities and hit it. Finally, you call the tech support guy in your company over to have a look. He does what he knows; basically, he yells obscenities at it and hits it. Soon, he decides to take it back to his office to take a look at it. A few minutes (or hours, depending on how good your tech support guy is) later, you get the call, and your computer is pronounced dead.
Was there a power surge? Nope. Did your hard drive crash? Not exactly. Normal wear and tear? Hardly. You’ve just become a victim of a new type of computer virus, and your precious data is obliterated. Now, all the hard work you’ve done over the past weeks is gone, not to mention any precious photos or other irreplaceable files you might’ve been storing on the company megabyte...all because you opened one email.
The Usual Suspects
Internet security is an ever increasing problem, and a costly one. Luckily, with a little bit of forethought and some luck, you can avoid potential problems and keep your computer running smoothly. For starters, it’s good to know what you’re up against. Here are a few definitions for the most common web-threats.
Spyware
One of the least serious security threats in most situations, spyware, or “adware”, often proves to be the most frustrating. Originally, the term referred to software that monitors a computer user without the user’s knowledge, but the term has expanded to include any program or cookie installed without the user’s knowledge. Spyware can be downloaded through browsers, and generally causes great amounts of slowdown. I won’t delve too far into it, since there’s already a great FineTuning article about spyware (See here for more details) As for general tips, I usually recommend using Mozilla rather than Internet Explorer since it’s a bit more secure, avoiding shady websites (we don’t have to mention what this entails, do we?) and using a program such as Ad-Aware or Spybot S&D if you need to get rid of resident spyware. Check with your tech before using spyware-removal programs on your business computer—some companies legally use their own spyware programs, and deleting them can be against company policy.
Viruses
Viruses are the classic computer-crushing culprit; they consist of a malicious bit of programming attached to a file. When the file’s launched, so is the virus, which carries out its function. This usually involves limiting or altogether destroying the functionality of your computer. It’s a common misconception that viruses can only be attached to executable files (*.exe files). While this was true at one point, skilled virus programmers have figured out ways to attach viruses to document files. These are called macroviruses, and because they exist, it’s no longer safe to open any file attached to an email or downloaded from a website without first scanning it with antivirus software. My personal recommendation is McAfee, which makes a range of great, unobtrusive software. The only catch is that they charge a small monthly fee for the most up to date form of their software.If you’re sure you’ve already got a virus, you might consider using F-Prot, a free DOS based utility that’s great for killing viruses effectively. There’s a link at the bottom of the page.
Trojan Horse
A virus made by the popular condom company. I kid, I kid. Although there are many definitions for what a Trojan Horse constitutes, the most universal definition is a program that acts maliciously on your computer while posing as another program. Whereas viruses and worms sometimes replicate themselves, a Trojan Horse does not. Virus programs like McAfee can detect Trojan Horses and take ‘em out. You can avoid them by not downloading any program from a disreputable site, especially programs from peer-to-peer services like Kazaa or Limewire.
Worms
Worms infest themselves on your hard drive, then replicate themselves thousands of times and attempt to spread to other computers. Common worms will replicate themselves until they completely fill your hard drive, occasionally overwriting files in the process. Unlike viruses, they are not included with other programs or documents, but are independent. Worms are a very common problem, and often send themselves out to your list of email contacts in an exact replica of the bugged email that you opened. So, not only did you give a computer worm to all of your friends and family, they know that you opened an email titled, “STEAMING HOT FIREMAN CALENDAR!”. As Mastercard would say, priceless. The same process used for avoiding viruses can be applied to worms; get antivirus software and avoid opening emails with weird or suggestive titles. Worms tend to spread really well at companies, so if you have any doubts about an email from someone at your work, give ‘em a quick call to make sure that it was them that sent you the file. If you get a worm or need to test a file for worms, antivirus software will work, but make sure you have the most recent updates for your antivirus software in case the file you're checking has a worm that was recently created.
The Next Step
If your computer is hit by some malicious file and it goes down, you’ll need a data recovery company. Check out my article, “What To Do If Your Hard Drive Crashes” for what to do next. If, however, you’ve read this before you’re facing data disaster, it’s fairly easy to minimize data loss problems and avoid being at virus-making nerd’s mercy. For those of you too busy to read anything that isn’t numbered, here’s a quick recap:
1. Get a good antivirus program. 2. Don't open weird emails or go to weird websites. 3. Back up your data!
When it comes to internet security, you can’t be too careful. You could be hit by a malicious program at any time. Even right…about…now.