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1ST Column

       Hello friends, I decided to create this page in an effort to help you to avoid virus infections (computer virus). This is the common threat we all encounter while using the internet. With a little knowledge, you can avoid most viruses. Hopefully this information will be beneficial to you.

Remember: No virus can activate itself automatically for the first time, either you or any other program should have to execute the infected file. So if you are a bit careful you can avoid almost all viruses.
*** If you are an experienced user you may be familiar with these topics ***

99 percent of all viruses are transmitted through e-mail attachments and floppies.

Now let’s take the case of e-mail attachments
These are some of the most common email attachment

Extension

File Type

.jpg, .jpeg

A JPEG Image file

.bmp

A Bitmap Image file

.gif

A Graphics Interchange Format Image file

.tif, .tiff

A TIFF Image file

.wav

A Wave Sound file

.avi

An AVI Video file

.mpg, .mpeg

An MPEG Video file

.txt

A Notepad Text file

These are normally harmless files. You can open them with a good amount of confidence.
But beware of extensions like this ‘MyFileName.mpg.vbs’ or ‘MyFileName.bmp.vbs’ these are actually VB Script files

The next common types of files are with the extensions,

Extension

File Type

.doc

A Microsoft Word Document

.dot

A Microsoft Word Document Template

.xls

A Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet

.ppt

A Microsoft Power Point Presentation

.pps

A Microsoft Power Point Slideshow

These files can be programmed to contain ‘Macro Viruses’ which can make your life tough. Still you can open these files safely, because your MS Office will warn you if the file contains macros, and you have a chance to enable or disable the macro

Macros are not evidence of a virus - just the possibility for one. However, many viruses embed themselves in macros.

NOTE: You can disable the built-in warning you receive when opening a file with macros! If you had done it, you will NOT be warned of the embedded macro! (Check: Tools > Options > Security > Macro Security in MS Office applications)

Program files and compressed files,

Extension

File Type

.exe

An Executable Program File

.zip, .rar, .tar

Compressed(zipped) Files

These files are a bit dangerous. Program files may contain viruses and Trojans (similar to virus, but pretend to do something good). There are programs which seem as games or something funny while the virus is hidden within them.
A good antivirus software (I prefer Norton) can help you here. Please run these programs if they are from a trusted source and only after scanning.
Sometimes your friend can also play a trick on you (for fun, maybe...). He can send you a flash exe or something which contains a Trojan which will steal all your passwords and mail it to him. I’ve seen a few progs like that.

I suggest you scan the zipped file before unzipping. Multiple zipped (that’s what I call for zipping a zipped file) files can escape from antivirus scan, so scan also after each unzipping.

These are some of the less common attachments,

Extension

File Type

.com

A MS DOS Program File

.bat

A simple batch file which can ruin your day

.vbs

A VB Script file which should NEVER be run. This was the extension of the "I Love You" virus.

These types of files are common on your PC and are used every day, but if they arrive through email they're nothing but deadly dangerous, so please delete it immediately unless you are absolutely sure. If it's from a trusted source, you should notify them quickly, since they may not be aware that they have sent it.

Note: There are a small percentage of known email viruses which CAN infect your system without requiring you to run an attached file. If your email software uses a preview pane, such as Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express, some messages can contain code which will actually run a process on your computer and infect it. This is due to a security hole in the email software, and Microsoft has a fix for it which is available from their site HERE

Now let’s take the case of floppies.

Floppies provide the easiest way of exchanging files and so a good source of virus. When you access an infected floppy your system will be infected. Also most viruses will spread to floppy when it is used in an infected system. You can avoid all these problems if you stop using outside floppies. Yes, I know it’s not always possible.
These are a few things which you can consider...

Always scan floppies before you use them

Enable auto protect feature in your antivirus software

Please write-protect your floppies before giving some files to your   friends(no virus can infect write-protected devices)

Keep a clean write-protected boot disk always. (you will need this at times of emergencies)

Before (re)booting remove any floppy in the drive

Conclusion
In a world full of viruses and other malicious programs, it's important to take proactive measures to protect your system from downfalls. With new viruses being released day after day, and virus programmers becoming cleverer it may not be practicable to reverse the damages incurred by viruses. In this article, we've touched briefly on some preventive measures. The golden rule of ‘Prevention’ stays…

Tony Jose
E-mail: tonyjose@india.com
Created: July 10, 2003

Reference: World Wide Web

Disclaimer:   I do not guarantee that this is an authentic text. But I can assure you that these topics are true to the best of my knowledge

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