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Protecting Your Computer Against Viruses

The popularity of the Internet has led to the recent widespread outbreaks of computer viruses. Viruses have become so widespread that they are now mentioned in newspapers and network news programs. It is extremely important for anyone who uses a computer to be aware of viruses, especially when accessing the Internet. Viruses can be carried in anything from a floppy disk to an email message. About a million computers worldwide are infected with a virus every day. If your computer becomes infected with a virus, you could loose all of the data on your hard drive.

return to topWhat is a Virus?

Computer viruses are self-replicating programs which cannot exist without a host. These programs have existed since the 1960's, but did not get the name of "virus" until 1984. These programs can be relatively harmless, or can completely incapacitate your computer. The damage done to your computer is called the payload, and can range from a harmless message or image being displayed to destroying files and reformatting the hard drive of your computer.  

With the popularity of the Internet, viruses have become more widespread and common. Originally, the viruses were passed by floppy disks, but now they are often passed through Internet downloads and especially email attachments. Over 50,000 viruses have been identified, and around 200 more are created each month.

There are other types of programs associated with viruses and sometimes seen to be subsets of viruses. These are worms and Trojans. Many recent viruses have incorporated viruses, worms, and Trojans into one virus. 

Worms are also self-replicating, but they do not have the payload that viruses have. Worms use the internet or a network to send copies of itself to other computers, often using email programs. They are often incorporated into viruses, and are to blame for the spreading of most of the recent viruses, such as Loveletter and SirCam. 

Trojans on the other hand do not replicate themselves. Like the Trojan horse of legend, Trojans seem harmless but transport harmful information to other computers. Trojans can allow a hacker complete access to your computer so they can corrupt files, steal passwords, and modify the system registry. Often, Trojans are used to attack websites by having thousands of computers under their control trying to access one site at the same time. 

Additional information about viruses and/or virus hoaxes is available from the LTS Help Desk Virus Information site and on the Internet at, Computer Virus Myths.

return to topProtecting Your Computer from Viruses

With the prevalence of viruses today, it is important for any computer accessing the Internet to have protection against viruses. In addition to safe operating procedures, there are many different programs which can help you to protect your computer. Viruses can come from many different sources, so you must be aware to protect yourself from getting a virus from any source. Remember that virus scanners can only catch the known viruses, so do not rely solely on virus protection software. Viruses may take months before they are discovered and solutions are found.

Some hints for preventing virus infections:

Don'ts

Do's

return to topVirus Protection Software

There are many different programs which scan for and correct viruses which are on your computer. Many times you will not even know you have a virus until you scan for viruses. There are many options for scanning and curing viruses. There are free software, free online scans, downloadable trial versions of software, and software which you may purchase. The vast number of software companies offering virus protection makes it difficult to include all companies, but we have compiled a listing of the best rated virus protection solutions. The downloadable virus software scans for viruses in real-time, which means that as your computer receives files, the software checks the files for viruses. The software also constantly monitors the computer files to search for viruses. It is very important when using a real-time virus scanner to download updates frequently, so the software can detect all of the newly found viruses.

Sites offering free online virus scans:

Some of the companies which offer free trial versions of their software are:

Some of the best rated virus protection software is:

Personal firewall software controls what programs are allowed to access the internet, and prevents people from hacking into your computer. This can prevent Trojans which are already on your computer from accessing the internet. There are companies which offer free and paid software for personal firewalls as well.

Some personal firewalls available are:

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