The past few weeks have set a new high in computer viruses - or a new low, depending on how you look at it. The number of phone calls I have received from people with virus infections was just astounding. I am not sure what to do about it - all I know is that it is going to get worse, far worse, before it gets better.
It's not worth spending a lot of time over the definitions for the various types of computer and security intrusions that can occur. It could be a virus, a Trojan horse, a worm, or any of a number of technically different types on intrusion. What is more important is doing the right things and having the right support software to help you. Let's try to break down the types of situations and what can be done about them.
Viruses are generally transferred via email. The virus is usually an attachment to the email, but not always. The easy answer to this type of problem is to have a good anti-virus program running in your computer. We can argue all day about what ones are good and what ones are cheap, but I still recommend only one - Norton Anti-Virus. This program will check both incoming and outgoing email, check running programs for viruses, and check your entire hard drive periodically. But there are a couple of issues here: First, you must have the latest version. If it is 2003, you should be running the 2003 version, not 2002 or early. Why? Its simple. The older program cannot detect newer forms of viruses, even if you keep your virus definitions up to date. So, pay the $50 or so each year for a new program. Second, you must keep it updated. If you have a full time connection to the Internet, make sure you set up its Live Update facility.
The point is: an old or out of date virus program is worse than none at all - worse in the sense that you feel secure when in fact you are not.
Worms are programs that come through the Internet via its normal communications protocols (IP, or Internet Protocol). To thwart worms and the like, you should have firewalls - both hardware and software. A hardware firewall usually comes in a cable/DSL router box; even if you only have one PC connected to your cable or DSL modem, you should still have a router. A software firewall is a piece of software that monitors your PC for suspicious IP activity.
Again, a firewall is useless unless up to date. Make sure you have the latest firmware download into your hardware router, and make sure you update the software firewall. Again, I recommend Norton Personal Firewall; it uses the same Live Update feature as the anti-virus program.
A downside of software firewalls is that they are difficult to configure. At one point in time, I did not recommend them because of that. But those days are gone - if you have to learn something about the Internet, now is the time.
You can also get other program intruders called adware or spyware. These usually come from visiting certain web pages - even ones that seem OK. They clog your computer and can cause slowdowns or failures, not to mention the loss of personal security. To thwart this invasion, use one of the free detection programs. I use both Spybot and AdAware. Update and run these periodically, perhaps once of week or more.
Another problem is that some viruses (running on somebody else's PC) will sometimes flood your email inbox with hundreds or emails. There is very little you can do about that - just delete them. If everybody had good anti-virus software, this wouldn't occur - but unfortunately, they don't.
And, last but not least, keep good backups. I recommend using CD-R (write once) media. Write a new CD each week (they are very inexpensive) and never re-write. Keep all the old ones on a shelf somewhere in case you have to backtrack.
Of course, this is still just a quick brush over the topic. But you need to be aware that things are getting much worse and we all need to actively fight the problem. As Eldridge Cleaver once said (on a different topic) "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem".
(Bob Seidel is a local computer consultant in the Southport / Oak Island area. You can visit his website at www.bobseidel.com or e-mail him at bsc@bobseidel.com).