[etni] [FWD: The Virus Solution]

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 From: "Rachel Arenstein" <arens@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
 Subject: Fw: TOURBUS - 27 Jan 04 - The Virus Solution

This is an excellent article which should allay a lot of fears about viruses 
and how to deal with them.
Rachel

  
                Today's Tourbus Topic: The Virus Solution
  
 Like an unwelcome winter storm, a new email virus has swept scross
 the Internet this week. Some call it M-y-D-o-o-m, others have dubbed
 it N-o-v-a-r-g. (I've spelled it out because many overzealous spam
 filters would otherwise zap this message.) Read on to find out why
 you don't have to worry about this or other email-borne viruses.

   HOW TO PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER FROM VIRUSES
 -------------------------------------------
  
 I have an unorthodox strategy for dealing with computer viruses. It
 doesn't involve the use of firewalls or anti-virus software. But if
 everyone understood the simple virus safety tips I'll outline here,
 the virus writers would get very bored very quickly.
  
 Sooner or later you WILL receive an email that contains a computer
 virus. Perhaps you got one today with M-y-D-o-o-m attached. But if
 you understand a few simple concepts about email and viruses, there
 is really nothing to worry about. I've been using email for twenty
 years, and I receive hundreds of messages daily. Even though I get
 viruses in my inbox every day, I've NEVER been affected by one.
  
 If you take a few minutes to read and apply the following concepts
 to your own email handling, you can have the same protection and
 peace of mind without buying any expensive anti-virus software.
 (There ARE some good reasons for having anti-virus protection, and
 I'll mention those later.)
  
 ------------------------------
   FACTS ABOUT COMPUTER VIRUSES
 ------------------------------
  
 If you keep your email software updated, you CANNOT get a virus just
 by opening or reading your email. This is true even if your Cousin
 Vinny has a friend who swears it happened to his neighbor in a major
 city, and his wife was abducted in a mall parking lot. Many widespread
 virus hoaxes have circulated the Net for years, claiming that if you
 open an email with a certain Subject line, then untold horrors will
 beset your computer. It's just not true.
  
 A virus cannot leap out of your inbox and infect your computer without
 some help from you! Here are some facts you should know:
  
   + Some emails have attached files, in addition to the message body
  
   + Email attachments can be good (photos, music) or bad (a virus)
  
   + It is safe to open and read the message body of ANY email, even if that 
email has an attached virus.
  
 [ NOTE: Before you write to tell me that some viruses can be activated
    simply by opening an email, PLEASE remember I said "IF YOU KEEP
 YOUR EMAIL SOFTWARE UPDATED." If you have an old, unpatched copy of
 Microsoft Outlook, then all bets are off. ]
  
 In order for a computer virus to affect you, it requires some explicit
 action on your part. Let me explain with an analogy: Imagine someone
 has mailed you a loaded gun. You can't get hurt just by looking at
 your mailbox. You can't get hurt just by taking the package out of
 the mailbox. You CAN get shot if you take the gun out of the package,
 aim it at your head, and pull the trigger.
  
 -------------------------
   HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
 -------------------------
  
 So what is the "explicit action" required to activate a virus that
 arrives in an email attachment? It's as simple as clicking on the
 attachment. Depending on your email program, this will either save
 the file to your hard disk or activate the virus immediately. It
 really is that simple... don't click on attachments and your inbox
 will be safe from computer viruses.
  
 How can you tell the difference between good attachments and those
 that contain a virus? In some cases, you can't. Anti-virus software
 may help, but if the virus is very recent, your anti-virus package
 may not be able to detect it. Case in point: The recent S-o-B-i-g
 and M-y-D-o-o-m viruses infected thousands of computers worldwide
 in just a few hours, even though they had anti-virus software.
  
 Here are some practical tips to help you decide whether or not to
 open an attachment:
  
   + If you get an email with an attachment from someone you don't
     know, delete it. You don't take candy from strangers, and you
     should behave the same with email attachments.
  
   + If you get an email with an attachment from a friend, don't
     assume it's harmless! Many viruses spread by automatically
     sending themselves to the addresses found in the victim's
     address book, and they often include something in the message
     body that looks like a personal message from your friend.
  
   + Unless you are very computer savvy, and you can tell for sure
     from the name of the attached file that it's not a virus, then
     CALL or EMAIL your friend and ask if they meant to send you
     an attachment.
  
   + If they say no, then obviously you should delete the message
     and let them know THEY are probably infected with a virus.
  
   + If they say yes, AND they can explain what it is (photos of
     the family picnic, etc.) it should be safe to open the attachment.
  
 SEMI-TECHNICAL NOTE: Take care when checking the filename of an
 attachment as a guide to whether or not you should open it. The
 standard (bad) behavior of Windows is to hide the file extension (the
 last three characters) when filenames are displayed. Some virus
 writers take advantage of this and create files with names such as
 HAPPY.JPG.EXE, which will display as HAPPY.JPG. It appears to be a
 harmless JPG (photo) file, but is really a nasty virus.
  
 To force Windows to display the entire filename, open My Computer
 then click on Tools/Folder Options/View (on some systems, click on
 View/Folder Options/View) then UNcheck the "Hide file extensions
 for known file types" option. But even this may not be enough. Uzi
 Paz explains in much greater detail in his "Security and Filename
 Extensions" article how Gatus of Borg has deigned to hide certain
 file extensions even when they are supposed to be unhidden; along
 with instructions for revealing ALL potentially harmful file
 extensions, without using run-on sentences or improperly-placed
 punctuation marks, here:
  
    http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Lab/1131/eng/safe.html
  
 ---------------
   IN A NUTSHELL
 ---------------
  
 If you remember nothing else about computer viruses, try to keep
 these three facts in mind:
  
   + You can't get a virus just by reading your email.
  
   + A virus cannot attack without your help.
  
   + Never open an attachment unless you're sure it was sent on
     purpose, and the sender can explain what it is.
  
 -----------------------
   AM I ANTI-ANTI-VIRUS?
 -----------------------
  
 Am I saying that anti-virus software is useless? For many people,
 yes! If you follow the guidelines in this article, and you handle
 only attachments that contain photos, anti-virus software is a
 waste of money and can make your computer slower and less reliable.
  
 If you deal with word processor files or spreadsheets, if you
 download software, use a "file-sharing" program such as Kazaa,
 your computer is shared by others (especially children) who are
 prone to clicking, opening or downloading almost anything, despite
 repeated warnings, threats and knuckle-whacking, or if you have a
 nagging suspicion that Cousin Vinny might be right after all...
 then you SHOULD use an anti-virus program.
  
 I don't discount the fact that people do make mistakes. If using
 anti-virus software makes you feel safer, if you understand that it's
 not a GUARANTEE to keep you safe, if you don't mind spending the
 money, then maybe it's right for you. You can find a bunch of popular
 anti-virus packages here:
  
    http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=anti-virus
  
 But be aware that it can only protect you from the viruses it KNOWS
 about. I've heard from LOTS of people who faithfully kept their
 anti-virus software updated, but they still got a virus because of
 careless email handling.
  
 You should also check for email, browser and operating system
 software updates at least once a month. (If you use Windows, you
 should have Windows Update take care of this automatically.) Older
 versions may have security flaws that allow unauthorized access to
 your system. Here are some links that may help you to find new
 versions, upgrades or security patches:
  
   + WINDOWS UPDATE - http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
  
   + NETSCAPE - http://home.netscape.com/smartupdate
  
   + EUDORA EMAIL SOFTWARE - http://www.eudora.com
  
 ------------------------
   MORE HELPFUL RESOURCES
 ------------------------
  
 Learn about computer virus myths, hoaxes, and urban legends at Rob
 Rosenberger's excellent Vmyths.com site.
  
    http://www.Vmyths.com
  
 Try Trend Micro's Free Online Virus Scanner.
  
    http://housecall.trendmicro.com
  
 Symantec AV Center offers information on the lastest virus threats,
 removal tools, and a Virus Encyclopedia.
  
    http://www.symantec.com/avcenter
  
 I understand that some people will disagree with my advice about the
 best way to protect yourself from computer viruses. But I believe
 that education is the key, rather than software that gives a false
 sense of security.
  
 That's all for now, see you nest time! -- Bob Rankin
  

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