Here are some common misbeliefs about viri.
#1 Misnomer: "Viri will come from people
you don't know."
WRONG! They only come from people you know. KAK, Melissa, I Love
You, Magistrate & Klez all attack your address book. So it e-mails people you know.
What it does after that depends on the virus. In most cases, it sends you a copy of the
virus from your friend, the virus changes the sender's name. It may look like it came from
Joe Schmoe when it actually came from your friend.
#2 Misnomer: "All viri will be stopped by
our software."
I wish!!! But sadly wrong again. There are over 75,000 known viri out
there...how many are yet to be discovered? If you feel unsure about downloading from the
Internet or getting attachments from e-mail. Then don't download them. If all else, always
download into the same folder (ie C:\Downloads) then do a virus scan on that file or that
folder. It's better to waste 5 minutes and be safe then to be sorry and have your computer
down for a few days/weeks due to repairs and lost information. Most computer repair
companies will take longer and charge more for repairing a virus attacked computer.
#3 Misnomer: "If you open up the e-mail
then click delete it will delete the e-mail and virus without infecting my system."
Wrong! As soon as you open up that piece of e-mail or even preview
it, you have infected your computer. If you think you have a virus in your e-mail and
are not sure what to do, ask someone who understands the program! I'd rather you take a
few minutes of my time then for you have to reinstall all of the software on your
computer. (example: Windows 98se takes 30 minutes to install and another 10 to 30 minutes
to configure all the hardware and software. If your files need recovered before a full
reinstall, that can take hours to hunt them down.)
Most of the newer viri take full advantage of the preview features
in Microsoft's e-mail software. If you have attachments that are pictures or a Visual
Basic application (like the I Love You bug) or some of the newer ones utilize html-based
(web page) e-mail to start the virus, Outlook automatically opens or runs these files. In
both Outlook Express and Microsoft Outlook, the preview feature can be turned off so that
you can see the file name of the attachment before you open it. Also, on the Microsoft web site, there are many patches and fixes
that will disable the auto-preview feature.
Because so many of the newer viri have an html script, the preview
feature is a great asset to spreading the virus. HTML is the language they use to write
web pages. I'm sure you have gone to a web site and those annoying ad windows open up....
same principal. Replace the ad with a virus and you have a perfect delivery system.
The older "hardcore" viri don't pop up that often anymore.
Most of the simplest AV software will catch it before it does any damage. We've come to
the age where viri creators don't hit just one or two computers anymore. They want the
popularity and fame when they hit thousands of machines with annoying little bugs.
There are some newer, more violent viri that come through e-mail
such as the Magistrate, SirCam or the Klez virus. Most of these newer ones are rather
brutal but they all seem to have a 7 day window where they can be removed with little or
no damage to the system. Unfortunately, you usually don't know when the initial infection
occurred unless you are on-line quite often. I say that, because most of the viri send out
copies of its self via e-mail the same day you receive the bug.
TIP: If you receive an attachment in the e-mail you are unsure of,
here are a few things to check before taking action.
