Email threat
| Email threat | |
02 April 2004
Currently, popping your inbox means downloading on average about six infected emails carrying the W32.Netsky.P@mm virus. Your anti-virus should be picking these out straight away before any harm can be done. But it’s advisable to permanently delete these from your system by immediately emptying your email delete folder. With virus threats appearing on a daily, if not hourly basis, prevention is infinitely preferable to cure. So what can we do to keep ourselves protected? Firstly, as already stated, keep your anti-virus software up to date. Check that it’s configured to update automatically each day and that you have the latest update on board. Automatic updating can be verified by opening the av software and checking the settings via its menu bar. From here you can normally do a live update too and connect to the vendor’s site to get all the latest info and advice. Get scanned The second line of defence is to get your Operating System scanned for updates at the Windows Update site. Pay particular attention to any critical or security updates that are recommended and install them – they’re free and patch all the known security holes. If you haven’t been to the site for a long time, read the descriptions of each update carefully and download the large service packs first. These cure a number of problems all in one go. An example was the user who had been offline for several months and found that Windows Update at first recommended 46 separate critical or security updates. However this number was reduced down to 13 by installing a multi-megabyte service pack then returning to scan her system for a second time. Many of the computer and internet magazines to be found in your local newsagents also frequently contain these service packs which is very useful if you’re still chugging along with 56k dial up. As well as security updates, the Windows Update site will also recommend the latest drivers and related patches for your machine.
If you have qualms about new drivers throwing a spanner in the works, create a restore point beforehand. This lets you rollback your system to a pre-defined point prior to the installation. System Restore is found in Windows XP in the System Tools folder. Since most computer users will be sending or receiving Word, Excel etc. documents, don’t omit to update MS Office as well. Its update site can be found here. And don’t forget about a firewall. Make sure you have one installed, there’s plenty to choose from. In Windows XP there’s one built in, but it needs to be switched on. To make sure it’s activated go Start/Connect To/Show all connections and right click on your ISP’s icon and open Properties. Click on the Advanced tab and ensure there’s a tick in the Internet Connection Firewall box. As you’ll have noticed by now there’s been a lot of mention about Windows XP. That’s because Microsoft are winding down support for Windows 95, 98, ME and NT. Weakest link With all the software side of the equation sorted out, there’s still the weakest link in the chain to take care of…the user. The best advice here is to be suspicious of all attachments – even if it’s from someone you know. Don’t open any unsolicited attachment. It may well be from a colleague, friend or company you know, but chances are all too real that it’s been sent not by them but by a virus. If in doubt, give them a quick call. The most commonly infected attachments are those ending in .pif, .exe, .zip, and .src. This is not a comprehensive list.
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