Practical E-mail protection from viruses and worms: Part 2

Here's some practical and invaluable steps you can take to
protect your e-mail today from viruses and worms: Part 2

6. Pay attention to your computer. If it starts to act
strangely, or does not function in the normal manner, there
is a good chance that your computer has become infected
with a virus. STOP your work, and investigate it before it
gets any worse. Run your virus scan. If you can't find the
virus and know you have recent virus data files ... contact
your computer repair/maintenance company to see if they can
help you. Or visit us at computerguyslive.com for
experienced virus removal.

7. STOP FORWARDING 'WARNING' EMAILS! There are billions of
emails floating around in cyberspace warning of gloom, doom
and falling skies. They usually tell the recipient to
forward the email to everyone you know. The vast majority
of these email alerts are a hoax.

Here is why these are often just as harmful as a virus:
A. After reading a so-called warning email, the recipient
may delete legitimate files from their computer. These
could be files that actually secure the computer.
B. Repeated, false alarms desensitize the public to the
problem of viruses. Cry wolf too many times, and when the
real thing comes along, no one knows until the wolf is onto
dessert.
C. False alarms cause an overflow of traffic to websites
like Microsoft, Symantec, and McAfee. You can check out the
legitimacy of a virus by going to
http://vil.nai.com/vil/hoaxes.asp and looking up the
suspected virus. It will say HOAX if it is not real. This
is a great resource for virus information.

8. If you are using Windows XP. Always make sure to have
the latest version of the operating system. Even years
after it has been released, software testers, engineers and
hackers continue to find security flaws within the XP
operating system. Microsoft has set up a program in which
it will release fixes, or patches, to XP. You can set your
computer to either look for updates automatically (highly
recommended) or you can check for updates manually. To
verify and/or change your settings, look for 'Windows
Updates' from your Start button.

9. And remember, many techs use online e-mail due to the
security risks involved in downloading e-mail to their
computer. This online access also allows total freedom
while traveling and changing computers. We are reprinting
this article because the regular computer user needs to
know the basics of e-mail security. Most of the millions of
computers get infected every year due to e-mail viruses and
worms that are spread through opening and sending the
infection to others.


----------------------------------------------------
Chris Kaminski has been working in computer repair and web
development for the last 20 years. Kaminski is CEO and head
technician for Computerguyslive.com, an online computer
repair company based in Asheville, NC. Visit Computer Guys
Live online for experienced online virus scans and computer
repair at http://www.computerguyslive.com and bookmark our
invaluable Wireless Connection Guide at
http://computerguyslive.com/content/wireless/wirelessindex.a
sp

The Editor of this blog is Barrie Segal is the founder of the AppealNow.com™ website at http://www.appealnow.com. He is also the founder of http://www.nowdatarescue.com/ and http://www.nowdatarescue.com