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What is a Virus?
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Computer viruses are small software
programs that are designed to spread from one computer to another
and to interfere with computer operation. |
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Spyware and Adware are, in essence,
viruses or unwanted software programs
See section below for more information on Spyware |
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A virus might corrupt or delete data
on your computer, use your e-mail program to spread itself to
other computers, or even erase everything on your hard disk. |
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Viruses are most easily spread by
attachments in e-mail messages or instant messaging messages. That
is why it is essential that you never open e-mail attachments
unless you know who it's from and you are expecting it.
Always avoid opening attachments that
end in .exe, .vbs, .bat, .pif,
.com and .scr since these are the file types that are most commonly
used to spread viruses and worms.
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Viruses can be disguised as
attachments of funny images, greeting cards, or audio and video
files. Viruses also spread through downloads on the Internet. They
can be hidden in illicit software or other files or programs you
might download. |
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Browsing the Internet sometimes calls for small programs to be
downloaded to your computer and they run there to help make the
whole thing you are looking at go quicker or easier. Some of these
however, have been put there to drop a little "extra" program onto
your system, which will then deliberately mess things up. |
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You
can sometimes have a virus that hasn't yet hurt anything, but is
waiting for a moment or date in time when it will be activated.
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The
best way to insure that you don't have a virus is to buy virus
scan software, have it on your system, and have it scanning your
system periodically. |
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This
virus scan software can delete viruses automatically, and prevent
new ones from getting onto your system. |
| Almost all viruses come through
emails. Be wary of email attachments that you are not
expecting, even if you know the person who sent the email. Viruses and
worm are often sent as a zipped file (such as .zip) to try to hide
from virus scanning software. Some viruses are sent in what looks
like an ordinary program, such as PowerPoint, when in fact they are
dangerous viruses. DON'T OPEN EMAILS FROM PEOPLE YOU DON'T KNOW. |
How many viruses are
there?
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New
viruses, worms, and bugs are constantly being developed. The anti
virus program looks for and downloads the definitions (fixes) to
your computer. This is called a live update. Unfortunately, a fix
is not developed until after the virus is spreading through the
Internet. Norton, McAfee or other companies can’t come up with a fix until it knows about
the virus.
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VIRUS ALERT
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Unfortunately, many viruses are generated
through holiday seasons. Their email subject line is something
like ‘Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Easter, Happy Halloween, etc. If
you receive an email with these subject lines and YOU DO NOT
recognize the sender, DO NOT open them. Some of these
viruses are so vicious that they can completely wipe out your
computer. DELETE these emails immediately. Added
precaution, close the preview pane in your email program.
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How do I protect my
computer?
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You
protect your computer by having an anti-virus program installed and
the live-update function activated. Do not have multiple programs
installed as they conflict with each other.
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Many Internet
Service Providers (Cox, Qwest, etc.) offer anti-virus programs as
part of their service.
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What is an anti-virus
program?
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An anti-virus program identifies
a virus and either repairs, quarantines, or deletes the infected
file. The original purchase protects your computer for 1 year.
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If a
virus is detected, the anti-virus program identifies the problem and
either repairs, quarantines, or deletes the infected file. The most
common way to get a virus is through an email attachment. A good
rule of thumb is to never open an email from an unknown source.
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What is a subscription?
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After the 1st year,
you must renew your subscription so that you receive the latest
virus and Internet security protection each time you access the
Internet.
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The
anti-virus program automatically downloads the definitions (fixes)
to your computer each and every time you go on the Internet.
This only takes a few seconds. It downloads the latest fixes
available.
Do not
stop this live update.
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Installing and
subscribing to an Anti Virus Program
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Most
new computers come with a free trial subscription to an anti-virus
program. At the end of that trial period, you will get a warning
that it is time to subscribe for a full year’s service.
This one-year
service is what provides you with the live update function.
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If
you do not allow the program to run live updates, you have wasted
your money and are not protecting your computer. It doesn’t make
much sense to spend hundreds of dollars on a computer and not be
willing to spend about $40-45 per year to protect that investment.
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When
you near the end of each year’s subscription, you will be prompted
on screen during live update to renew your subscription. Follow the
instructions on screen. Have your credit card handy.
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If
your computer does not currently have an anti-virus program
installed, or you want a different program, you can purchase the
program at Staples, Office Max, Best Buy, etc. We do not recommend
downloading it from the Internet for two reasons. One is that the
download doesn’t always come through correctly, and two, you are
downloading something to your computer without any protection.
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If
you already have an anti-virus program installed and wish to install
a newer edition or a different program, you must uninstall any
currently installed anti-virus program. Go to Start, Programs,
Locate your anti-virus program, Click on uninstall.
Spyware
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Spyware is a general term
for a program that is designed to gather data about you and track
where you go on the Internet, usually without your specific
knowledge. One category of Spyware is called "Adware" which is used
to push advertisements to your computer in the form of pop-up ads.
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Of course, the fact that
you see pop-up ads does not mean that you have Spyware on your
computer. Many Web sites that you visit will load pop-up ads when
you visit them. While these can be an annoyance, they are related to
the specific sites that you visit.
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However, if you find that
pop-up ads are appearing even when you have not surfed to a Web
site, you may have Spyware on your computer. Internet users often
install Spyware on their own computer without realizing it. Many of
the free programs that are available on the Internet include a
Spyware component. The service agreement that you are asked to read
before downloading and using the software may even mention the fact
that the program will track your behavior or push advertisements.
But, since most people do not read the service agreement, they
install the software without realizing that it includes a Spyware
component.
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There are programs that
protect your computer from Spyware. Some are free and others you
would need to purchase. To find free programs, do a search for
Adware Protection or Spyware Protection. Programs you can purchase
include Windows Defender, McAfee and Norton by Symantec. Many Internet Service
Providers offer Spyware protection as part of their service.
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Spyware is a general term for a program
that is designed to gather data about you and track where you go on
the Internet, usually without your specific knowledge. One category
of Spyware is called "Adware" which is used to push advertisements
to your computer in the form of pop-up ads.
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Of course, the fact that you see pop-up
ads does not mean that you have Spyware on your computer. Many Web
sites that you visit will load pop-up ads when you visit them. While
these can be an annoyance, they are related to the specific sites
that you visit.
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However, if you find that pop-up ads are
appearing even when you have not surfed to a Web site, you may have
Spyware on your computer. Internet users often install Spyware on
their own computer without realizing it. Many of the free programs
that are available on the Internet include a Spyware component. The
service agreement that you are asked to read before downloading and
using the software may even mention the fact that the program will
track your behavior or push advertisements. But, since most people
do not read the service agreement, they install the software without
realizing that it includes a Spyware component.
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There are
programs
that protect your computer from Spyware. Some are free and others
you would need to purchase. To find free programs, do a search
for Adware Protection or Spyware Protection. Programs you can
purchase include McAfee and Norton by Symantec. Many Internet
Service Providers offer Spyware protection as part of their service.
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