Virus protection was Re: the delete key

September 11, 2001

(Cross-posted to coffee from the main NCT group as may be of interest there

too)

>My 2p's worth on this is that if you're reading in viewer mode rather

than opening each email (which I sometimes do if I don't know the

members of a list, to weed out weird virii before they've done their

stuff.

As I understand these things there are two sorts of email virus. One sort

come as attached files. the others are imbeded in html emails.

An anti-virus program that is kept up to date should protect you from both

sorts.

With the attached ones you can safely read the email, there could only be a

problem if you open (or 'run') the attachement.

With the embeded ones the viewer/preview pane has actually opened the email

to enable you to read it and you can be infected even if *you* don't open

the message into it's own window. To reduce your risk from this sort you

would need to turn off the viwer/preview and make your decision to open

based on the sender and subject line.

If you have an email program on your computer you need to have anti virus

(AV) software installed, have it turned on(!) and make sure that you keep it

up to date - most AV programs can be updated from the company's website.

Updates are generally posted weekly, though a particularly nasty new virus

would mean a sooner up date than that. Make it part of your weekly routine

or at worst your monthly one to update your AV software. You might also want

to consider running a weekly full scan of your hard drive(s) as an extra

check that all is well. You don't need to be on-line to run the full check,

so you can set it going and spend some time on some non-computer task whilst

it runs its checks.

AV software might cost £25 - £30, but you will save at least that in

computer shop bills if you get a virus and need professional help to get it

sorted out. Keeping the thing up to date is like remembering to save things

regularly whilst you are working on them - a pain, but every once in a while

you loose something and kick yourself so hard it hurts more - and you have

to use more precious time sorting it out again.

Hope people find this helpful.

Liz (the geek) Goudie

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