Do you realise how easy it is for your computer to get infected?
July 18, 2007 (Press Release) --
Viruses, worms, and Trojan horses are malicious programs that can cause damage to your computer and information on your computer. They can also slow down the Internet, and they might even use your computer to spread themselves to your friends, family, co-workers, and the rest of the Web. The good news is that with an ounce of prevention and some good common sense, you are less likely to fall victim to these threats.
A virus is a piece of computer code that attaches itself to a program or file so it can spread from computer to computer. It infects as it travels. Viruses can damage your software, your hardware, and your files. Just as human viruses range in severity from Ebola to the 24-hour flu, computer viruses range from the mildly bothersome to the downright destructive. The good news is that a true virus does not spread without human action. Someone must share a file or send an e-mail to move it along.
A worm, like a virus, is designed to copy itself from one computer to another, but it does so automatically. First, it takes control of features on the computer that can transport files or information. Once a worm is in your system, it can travel alone. A great danger of worms is their ability to replicate in great volume. For example, a worm could send out copies of itself to everyone listed in your e-mail address book, and their computers would then do the same, which causes a domino effect of heavy network traffic that can slow down business networks and the Internet as a whole. When new worms are unleashed, they spread very quickly. They clog networks and possibly cause a long wait for you (and everyone else) to view Web pages on the Internet. Because worms don't need to travel via a "host" program or file, they can also tunnel into your system and allow somebody else to take control of your computer remotely. Recent examples of worms included the Sasser worm and the Blaster worm.
Just as the mythological Trojan horse appeared to be a gift, but turned out to contain Greek soldiers who overtook the city of Troy, today's Trojan horses are computer programs that appear to be useful software, but instead they compromise your security and cause a lot of damage. A recent Trojan horse came in the form of an e-mail that included attachments that claimed to be Microsoft security updates, but turned out to be viruses that attempted to disable antivirus and firewall software. Trojan horses spread when people are lured into opening a program because they think it comes from a legitimate source. To better protect users, Microsoft often sends out security bulletins via e-mail, but they never contain attachments.
Trojan horses can also be included in software that you download for free. Never download software from a source that you don't trust. Always download Microsoft updates and patches from Microsoft Windows Update or Microsoft Office Update.
When you open and run an infected program, you might not know you've contracted a virus. Your computer might slow down or crash and restart every few minutes. Sometimes a virus attacks the files you need to start up a computer. In this case, you might press the power button and find yourself staring at a blank screen.
All of these symptoms are common signs that your computer has a virus—although they could also be caused by hardware or software problems that have nothing to do with a virus.
Beware of messages that indicate you sent e-mail that contained a virus. This might mean that the virus has listed your e-mail address as the sender of a tainted e-mail. This does not necessarily mean you have a virus. Some viruses have the ability to forge e-mail addresses.
Unless you have up-to-date antivirus software installed on your computer, there is no sure way to know if you have a virus or not.
Nothing can guarantee the security of your computer 100 percent. However, you can continue to improve your computer's security if you keep your software up to date and maintain a current antivirus software subscription. For reviews of some of the best ones, visit .....
http://jumblue.bezoogle.com/pp/adware/
A virus is a piece of computer code that attaches itself to a program or file so it can spread from computer to computer. It infects as it travels. Viruses can damage your software, your hardware, and your files. Just as human viruses range in severity from Ebola to the 24-hour flu, computer viruses range from the mildly bothersome to the downright destructive. The good news is that a true virus does not spread without human action. Someone must share a file or send an e-mail to move it along.
A worm, like a virus, is designed to copy itself from one computer to another, but it does so automatically. First, it takes control of features on the computer that can transport files or information. Once a worm is in your system, it can travel alone. A great danger of worms is their ability to replicate in great volume. For example, a worm could send out copies of itself to everyone listed in your e-mail address book, and their computers would then do the same, which causes a domino effect of heavy network traffic that can slow down business networks and the Internet as a whole. When new worms are unleashed, they spread very quickly. They clog networks and possibly cause a long wait for you (and everyone else) to view Web pages on the Internet. Because worms don't need to travel via a "host" program or file, they can also tunnel into your system and allow somebody else to take control of your computer remotely. Recent examples of worms included the Sasser worm and the Blaster worm.
Just as the mythological Trojan horse appeared to be a gift, but turned out to contain Greek soldiers who overtook the city of Troy, today's Trojan horses are computer programs that appear to be useful software, but instead they compromise your security and cause a lot of damage. A recent Trojan horse came in the form of an e-mail that included attachments that claimed to be Microsoft security updates, but turned out to be viruses that attempted to disable antivirus and firewall software. Trojan horses spread when people are lured into opening a program because they think it comes from a legitimate source. To better protect users, Microsoft often sends out security bulletins via e-mail, but they never contain attachments.
Trojan horses can also be included in software that you download for free. Never download software from a source that you don't trust. Always download Microsoft updates and patches from Microsoft Windows Update or Microsoft Office Update.
When you open and run an infected program, you might not know you've contracted a virus. Your computer might slow down or crash and restart every few minutes. Sometimes a virus attacks the files you need to start up a computer. In this case, you might press the power button and find yourself staring at a blank screen.
All of these symptoms are common signs that your computer has a virus—although they could also be caused by hardware or software problems that have nothing to do with a virus.
Beware of messages that indicate you sent e-mail that contained a virus. This might mean that the virus has listed your e-mail address as the sender of a tainted e-mail. This does not necessarily mean you have a virus. Some viruses have the ability to forge e-mail addresses.
Unless you have up-to-date antivirus software installed on your computer, there is no sure way to know if you have a virus or not.
Nothing can guarantee the security of your computer 100 percent. However, you can continue to improve your computer's security if you keep your software up to date and maintain a current antivirus software subscription. For reviews of some of the best ones, visit .....
http://jumblue.bezoogle.com/pp/adware/
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