How Contagious Is a Virus? Depends on Your Habits
Recently, I watched a television news anchor in my hometown warn viewers about a “deadly” computer virus contracted by simply reading an e-mail message with the subject “Irina.”
Like many people, he was duped. Irina, along with the Good Times, Ghost, Deeyenda and a slew of other e-mail viruses, is a hoax.
There is no way to get a computer virus by simply reading an e-mail message. If an e-mail message has a file attached to it, the file might contain a virus. But you must first download and use the file included with the message to contract the virus.
I am not insinuating, however, that all viruses are urban legends. There are more than 8,000 known computer viruses, with at least 100 new or different strains appearing monthly. Computer viruses can create anything from a minor annoyance such as displaying an “I want a cookie” message on the screen to a major trauma such as destroying all data on the computer’s hard disk.
Before you push the panic button, know that your chances of contracting a virus directly depends on how you use your PC. By far, the most common ways of getting a computer virus are from sharing disks or files with co-workers or friends, or from downloaded software. (Commercial online services hunt viruses religiously, but some slip through; on the Internet, caution is the rule.)
If you do neither of these activities, your chances of contracting a virus are pretty slim. But if you regularly download files and swap floppies and files, you might be in the high-risk category. Then it’s up to you to use common sense to protect your computer with anti-virus software that will identify viruses that make it onto your system and get rid of them after you’re infected.
Microsoft DOS 6.0 and higher includes an average DOS and Windows anti-virus program. Windows 95 does not include an anti-virus program, and neither does Mac system software, so in many cases you’ll need to buy something.
Symantec’s Norton’s Anti-Virus software for both PCs and Macs automatically detects viruses in compressed files, in the hard disk’s boot sector, in the PC’s memory and in files. The Big Brother aspect of the program keeps an eye out for any suspicious behavior too.
The newest release, Norton’s Anti-Virus 2.0 for Windows 95 ($70), is tailored to catch viruses in downloaded files. If Netscape Navigator is on your PC, you can install an application that automatically checks downloaded files for viruses before the files are saved on your system.
A good alternative to anti-virus software programs that you would buy at retail are freeware (yes, software that’s free) and shareware (try-and-then-buy software). Which is better--store-bought programs or downloaded programs--depends on whom you ask. My recommendation is to try the freeware and shareware programs if you can. The programs may not have as many features as their retail cousins, but they get the job done.
F-Prot Professional is a great anti-virus freeware program for DOS, Windows and OS/2 PCs (https://www.datafellows.fi/f-prot.htm). The freeware program Disinfectant has had a loyal Mac following for years. You can find Disinfectant at just about any Mac shareware site.
McAfee (https://www.mcafee.com) publishes the shareware anti-virus program VirusScan. Its newest program, WebScan, scans compressed file formats such as .zip, .arc and .arj and self-extracting .exe files before the files are saved on your system.
How often should you run anti-virus software? High-risk computer users should run anti-virus software every time someone turns on the computer. (On Macs and PCs, you can include your anti-virus program in the start-up folder so the virus checker runs at boot-up.) You can also have the anti-virus software automatically check whenever you place a floppy disk in the computer’s disk drive or download a file.
The problem with anti-virus software is that the programs find only viruses known at the time the program was made. Always make sure you have the most recent version of your anti-virus software. You’ll find regular updates to anti-virus software as downloadable files at the software publisher’s Web site or from the software publisher on disk.
Whether you use your computer a little or a lot, always use common sense. Virus-check a disk from an unknown source; download files from an online service, the Internet or BBS directly to a floppy disk and make sure the files are virus-checked before you uncompress and install them. To be absolutely safe, your virus protection strategy should combine virus scanning and hard drive backups. You are more likely to lose data to an equipment problem than a computer virus. Backups keep you ready for anything that may strike!
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Kim Komando is a Fox TV host, syndicated talk radio host and founder of the Komputer Klinic on America Online (keyword KOMANDO). She can be reached via e-mail at komando@komando.com
