Your PC says "I Love You" but the feeling's
not mutual
Most of the urgent e-mails you get about
"deadly viruses" are just hoaxes. But there are a few real ones out there.
This month, for example, saw the release of a virus entitled "I Love You".
As a result, almost overnight, it seems that
virus attacks are the only computer issue on everyone's minds. This is
interesting considering that viruses have been around for a long time.
Although new viruses are launched every day, most are just new spins on
old tricks and this latest virus is no exception. The distinguishing factor
of the "I Love You" virus is that it will be the most costly to date since,
unlike Melissa (a virus resulting in an estimated damage of $80 million),
it has the ability to destroy data.
"I Love You" is what is known as a worm virus
- it has the ability to spread itself via e-mail and therefore, with the
ever-increasing usage of the internet, can spread at an alarming rate.
Those at risk in this instance are PC users with Microsoft Outlook. Users
receive an e-mail that says "I LOVE YOU" in the subject line. The e-mail
instructs users to open an attachment named "LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs"
which contains the virus. If the .vbs attachment is opened, your computer
will become infected and send infected e-mails to everyone in your Outlook
address book, potentially inconveniencing friends, relatives and even
clients who might be less understanding.
Whatever the motivation of the originator,
it's essential that you protect your PC against such invasions. Whilst
there are bad viruses that get passed around, if you protect yourself
and use some common sense, you don't have to lose any sleep over them.
Here are a few tips:
protect your machine with good (e.g. McAffee
or Norton) anti- virus software
ensure that your anti-virus software is regularly
updated and run it as recommended
be vigilant about what goes on to your system
(typical virus entry points are the internet and disks)
if you receive suspicious e-mail, simply delete
it.
if you work in an environment where others
can access your computer whilst it is unattended, use your machine's
password security to prevent the unauthorised copying of files
carry out regular back-ups, just in case
By following these basic guidelines, your computer
should remain healthy and virus-free. For more information, visit http://www.mcaffee.com
and http://www.symantec.com/
The Dedicated Partnership Maude Street, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 4QD - England, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1539 736677
Fax: +44 (0)1539 736688
