Keep your computer virus-free
It sounds like a scene from science fiction – viruses and worms waiting to attack. But when you’re talking about the kinds of viruses and worms that infect computers and computer networks, the threat is real indeed.
Some of these intentionally-written hidden codes are fairly benign, causing silly messages to appear on your screen and so forth, whereas others destroy files on your hard drive. Both worms and viruses impair the performance of the computers they infect, but unlike a virus, a worm can replicate itself, spreading through a computer network without anyone duplicating or transferring a file.
The most common way these malicious codes initially infect a computer or computer network is by e-mail. If you use e-mail, be vigilant for potential viruses and worms and take the following precautions:
Never open an e-mail attachment unless you know what it is, even if it’s from someone you know and trust. For instance, a virus such as the recent SirCam epidemic can e-mail copies of itself everyone in an infected computer’s Windows address book, even sending a randomly-selected file from the computer’s hard drive. Beware, in particular, of attachments ending in ".pif" or ".exe".
Sign up for West Florida Electric Cooperative’s free Web mail at webmail.wfeca.net. Web-based e-mail is less vulnerable to viruses than POP mail, such as Microsoft Outlook Express. The service allows wfeca.net subscribers to check e-mail online.
Install virus scanning software and use it regularly. However, for virus detection to be effective, you must keep your virus signature files current, because new viruses and virus updates are introduced almost daily. Download free virus detection, plus anti-virus updates, at
Stay informed about recently-discovered viruses and virus hoaxes. These hoaxes are more than mere annoyances – They can mislead some e-mail users to begin ignoring all virus warnings, risking exposure to genuine, destructive viruses. In fact, virus writers can take advantage of known hoaxes by attaching a "trojan" to a hoax virus warning. McAfee’s Web site provides updates on the viruses currently circulating, as well as a list of recent virus hoaxes.
Page created and maintained by West Florida Electric Cooperative, Inc. © 2001.
designed by embryo design