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Treat attachments like the plague.
 technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

T e c h n o f i l e
A common-sense guide to battling viruses on your Windows PC


Nov. 7, 2004


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2004, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2004, The Post-Standard

   Protecting your computer doesn't have to be a life-changing experience. But you do need to be more careful now than ever before.
   The biggest threats to Windows PCs are viruses, spyware and zombieware. I'll explain what you can do to combat each one over the next two weeks. (Apple's Macintosh computers are not affected. The advice here is for Windows only.)
   
   VIRUSES
   
   Start with smarter choices in software
   Viruses are all but unavoidable if your PC is used for e-mail and Web browsing. Even seemingly safe Internet chat programs such as AOL Instant Messenger and MSN Messenger can pass along infections.
   Viruses and their malware cousins, called worms, infect PCs in two ways. They can slip into the PC through badly designed Web browsers and unsafe e-mail and messaging programs or they can get into the computer through attachments that invite users to open them -- to "click on" them, which is the same thing.
   You don't have to cope with badly designed software. You can help keep your PC safe by using a more sensible Web browser than the standard one supplied with Windows, Internet Explorer. My choice is Firefox, an Open Source browser available free from www.mozilla.org/products/firefox. Firefox was developed specifically for browsing speed and safety.
   Likewise, you don't have to stick with the standard Windows e-mail program, Outlook Express. You have many choices, including the highly regarded Eudora, from www.eudora.com/. It's either free or $50, depending on features. But my recommendation is Thunderbird, from the authors of Firefox. It's free. Get it from www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird.
   You can also ditch any of the four standard instant messaging (IM) programs -- AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, ICQ or Yahoo! Messenger -- by switching to a safer alternative. I don't have a personal recommendation, but a good choice might be Trillian, from www.trillian.cc (either free or $25, depending on features). If you decide to continue to use any of the standard IM programs, make sure you beef up your virus, spyware and zombieware protection and follow the rules below on attachments and downloads.
   
   Get good antivirus software and update it daily
   I prefer antivirus software that comes without a price tag. Among the few free AV programs is my personal favorite, AVG. But the free version of AVG is being phased out in favor of paid versions starting at $33 for two years. Get details at www.grisoft.com/us. Another free one is AntiVir, from www.free-av.com.
   Each month, about 1,200 new Windows viruses are detected -- an average of 40 a day. Your PC isn't adequately protected unless you update the antivirus software at least once a day. If the PC has a broadband connection via cable or DSL, update the software every few hours if you have the option.
   
   Treat attachments like the plague
   Some viruses spread as instructions in e-mail, and that's why unsafe e-mail software is such a bad idea. But many others infect PC after PC by hiding in file attachments. I've simplified my rules of handling attachments to make them easier to follow:
   1. Never trust an attachment you didn't specifically ask for.
   2. Never trust an attachment you did ask for unless you know what it is.
   Rule No. 1 keeps you from blindly clicking on (opening) virus attachments masquerading as screen savers, games or pictures of entertainment stars. Enforce this rule on everyone in the family. By making sure that no attachment is opened unless you asked for it, you get rid of almost all virus attachments. No one asks for viruses.
   But Rule No. 2 is necessary because some of us -- you know who you are -- don't yet understand what "never" means. Rule No. 2 covers the situation in which you think it's OK to open an attachment you hadn't asked for because it was sent by someone you know.
   The problem here, of course, is that the "someone you know" could just as easily have relayed a viral attachment to you as someone you don't know. If your sister-in-law forwards a "cute screensaver" to you, she might be passing along an attachment that actually contains a virus.
   Even worse, the fact that the "From" address looks familiar doesn't mean it's accurate or truthful. Virus writers know how to create fake, or "spoofed," return addresses. E-mail with faked return addresses is a major problem.
   
   Next: Spyware and zombieware.