Avoiding computer viruses

Viruses that spread by email pose a threat, not only to work and personal data, but the reliability of the internet as a whole. The main danger from viruses nowadays is that your computer may be used without your knowledge to send spam, or that the virus writer will be able to use your personal information to commit identity fraud or buy things with your credit card.

There are simple ways you can protect yourself which don't require you to be a technical genius. Here are Rechord's virus vigilante tips:

• If you receive a virus warning by email, get in the habit of checking reputable websites to see if it is a hoax or not before forwarding it on. We have found these ones helpful:
  McAfee
  Symantec Hoax warnings
  Break the Chain
  Hoax Busters
  
  
• Microsoft Outlook / Outlook Express email programs are vulnerable to virus attack because they are the most widely used, and contain features (known as macros) which allow viruses to run directly from within the program. If you cannot use another email application such as the excellent product Courier, (and even if you can) these are the steps you should take:
  
• Turn off any option in your program that views HTML emails (emails that look like webpages) automatically.
• If this is not possible, switch off the email preview pane.

Download Courier


• Never open an attachment unless you know exactly what it is. Wherever possible speak to the sender to make sure they intended to mail it to you.
  If you are unsure about something, search a good anti-virus site for the latest news. Sometimes it is worth searching the site for the name of the attachment- this is often the hallmark of a particular virus.
  
• Invest in good anti-virus software and update it regularly. If you don't have much time to do it, or are liable to forget, many ISPs can provide virus scanning on the server (the computer that stores your email before you retrieve it.)
  
• Make regular backups (more on this later).