Safe surfing starts with you and the choices you make while using the Internet. There are things to be aware of, measures you can take, and places to avoid, all of which will help make your surfing experience a useful and pleasurable one.

Computer Viruses

A computer virus is a program designed to spread to other computers. A virus will infect primarily executable files (the type of file that launches software applications or tasks) but can also embed itself in e-mails and some type of data files. When the infected program or code is launched, it places copies of itself in even more programs. While most viruses are designed to simply multiply, some also are designed to perform undesirable actions such as deleting vital data on the host computer. Viruses can spread any time a file is shared between computers, whether by floppy disk, CD-ROM, e-mail attachment or across a network. Viruses can infect thousands of computers within a matter of hours. Computer viruses earn their name because they can self-replicate like biological viruses, but computer viruses have no place in nature. These programs are developed and deliberately spread among the public by devious programmers. The sensational nature of viruses makes them a media favorite over other threats to your data such as faulty hardware, software conflicts and software bugs. One antivirus researcher said you have more to fear from a spilled cup of coffee than from viruses. While this may be true, the malicious nature of some viruses warrants special attention.

It's important to realize that viruses can't infect e-mail messages or web pages, since these are both based solely on text, and plain text cannot contain computer viruses. The two ways viruses are most commonly spread are through e-mail attachments and by floppy disk.

E-mail attachments: You won't get a virus just from reading text e-mails. Viruses are spread through e-mail as executable file attachments (files ending in ".EXE", ".VBS" or ".COM" for example) or messages containing embedded executable code (such as JavaScript code embedded in an html e-mail). You won't get a virus from opening image files, audio files, text files or pure data files. However, some viruses such as the "Anna Kournakova" virus make themselves look like an innocent picture - the file name was anna.jpg.vbs. The .jpg component of the filename made many computer users think that the file was a picture and distracted them from the .vbs ending which identifies the file as an executable file.

Macro viruses are commonly distributed by e-mail. These are dangerous because they often use common file formats such as Microsoft Word. Users recognize the file extension and assume the file contains only data. However, when macro-enabled files are opened they actually execute a program, which could be infected with a virus. Some viruses and worms, such as the famous "I Love You" virus, gain broad distribution by targeting the infected host's e-mail contact listings. The virus will send copies of itself to their contacts using their name. The recipient often recognizes and trusts the sender, not realizing that the message was sent unknowingly.

Disk: Many viruses are spread by sharing an infected disk. These viruses will usually reside in your computer's memory and infect any floppy disk you place in your drive. Both file viruses and system sector viruses can be spread by floppy disk.

When a software application is infected, the virus will attempt to infect any documents accessed by that program. If the infected computer is on a network, the infection can rapidly spread to other networked computers that share files. If a copy of the infected file is transferred to another computer through e-mail or floppy disk, the virus can spread to that computer. The virus will continue until it's found and eradicated.

Obviously, a virus can't do any harm if it is caught before it gets a chance to start. You can use anti-virus (or virus protection) software to check (or "scan") the files on your hard drive to detect if any of them contain known viruses. If an infected file is found, most anti-virus programs give you the option of deleting the infected file or attempting to remove the virus and leave the uninfected version of the file on your computer.

How Do You Know If Your Computer Is Infected?

Irregular computer behavior doesn't mean you have a virus. It can be the result of worn out diskettes, hard drive problems, software bugs, or user error. Update your antivirus software (if it doesn't do so automatically) so that it contains the latest virus definitions. Run a complete scan of your hard drive (if applicable). If you keep important files on external media like a ZIP drive or CD-ROM, insert these disks into the appropriate drive and scan them. If a virus is found, your software program will prompt you to take action. Using your antivirus software, scan any files, programs, software or diskettes (even off-the-shelf commercial software) before using them on your computer.

Also:

	Scan your diskettes and files after using them on another computer
	Scan all executable files you receive as e-mail attachments
	Scan all programs you download from the Internet
	Scan all files you receive that may include macros. This includes all Microsoft Word and Excel files, and any files ending with ".VBS."

Most anti-virus programs can also be set up to automatically scan your computer's hard drive, CDs or diskettes that you insert, or e-mail attachments before they are opened. This effectively 'immunizes' your system against future infection from computer viruses.

Take Action And Secure Your Computer

Update your Microsoft Windows Operating System and Internet Explorer. Several of the recent viruses exploit a loophole in the Microsoft Windows Operating System. Ensure you are protected from intrusions by visiting windowsupdate.microsoft.com and following the steps on that page to download and install any updates for your Operating System. This can take several minutes depending on what version of Windows you have.

Protect Your Computer with a firewall application. To help protect against future viruses, we encourage all customers to install and run an anti-virus and firewall applications on their computer. Firewall software will protect your computer by preventing hackers from accessing your personal data.

Keep your antivirus software up to date. It's important to keep your antivirus software as up to date as needed for several reasons, including:

	to protect problems caused by receiving an email containing a virus or worm;
	to avoid passing on a virus to someone else;
	to avoid virus-related security vulnerabilities while connected to the Internet;
	to keep your computer running smoothly.

Virus definitions consist of a database in which antivirus software lists all viruses as well as instructions as how to remove or repair them. Each brand of antivirus software has its own method to update its definitions.