The internet can be a fun place to explore, but if you don't want to suffer serious computer damage you need to avoid computer viruses.
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Just like a medical virus a computer virus can cause all sorts of different symptoms on your computer. A virus is a little computer program that has a built-in ability to copy itself from one computer to another. It does this by emailing itself, or hiding in another computer program.
When infecting a computer a virus can delete and destroy your files and it can also use your email and its address book to deliver itself to your friends and colleagues.
Use the following rules to keep your computer virus free.
The best way to avoid getting a virus is to install some anti-virus software. This automatically checks what you do on the internet and scans for viruses. If it spots a virus hidden in an email message or web page it disables the virus and prevents it from damaging your computer.
Note: visit the OU's anti-virus website for information on downloading the free anti-virus software the OU recommends. The site also gives help and support, and news of current virus alerts.
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A firewall is a barrier between your computer and the rest of the internet. It monitors data passing between your computer and the internet and checks it against a set of 'rules'. The rules you set up will protect you from hackers (people who try to access other computers illegally) and the programs they write, such as worms and viruses.
The Maths and Computing Faculty's Safe Computing site has links to free personal firewall programs. Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs), like BT and AOL, also provide a free copy of a firewall program to their customers.
Back to top ˆˆYou can find security updates for Microsoft at their download center. The updates are usually big files but you can also find smaller 'patches' to fix known problems. Other operating systems have similar sites.
Back to top ˆˆMake sure all your valuable documents are protected by making a back-up copy. Regularly saving all your important documents and files to a floppy disk, CD-ROM or some other data storage, will mean you can ensure all your personal documents are not lost.
For further information on keeping your operating system up-to-date and tips on how to back-up your data see the Maths and Computing Faculty's Safe Computing site.
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Viruses
travel using email but they cannot be transported through a text-only message.
The only way a virus can be carried in an email is through an attachment. The attachment will show up in the email as a paper clip, or a small picture (icon) of a piece of paper.
If you don't recognise the email address of the person sending you the attachment you should be very wary of what the attachment contains. Even if the attachment comes from someone you know, unless you were expecting it, check with them before you open it.
People who make viruses often use tricks to encourage you to open the attachment, such as pretending it is a joke or a picture of something funny. They may also try to trick you by using wording such as 'Urgent' or 'Read now' to make you open the attachment.
The golden rule is don't open any attachment unless you are confident you know what it is, or trust who has sent it to you. Delete any messages you don't trust and you will be saving yourself a lot of trouble.
Only use reputable software and programs.
Back to top ˆˆOne other way to ensure you won't get a virus is to make sure you only use official copies of software on your computer. Don't download any software unless it is from a reputable source, and don't buy pirated copies to install on your PC. If you don't know where the software has come from it may be infected with a virus which will then infect the rest of your computer and possibly destroy other programs.
