What is a virus?
- A virus is a program that self-replicates
- It is not data
- You can only catch a virus by running a program
- Your computer runs all kinds of programs
Basic virus terminology
- Virus
- Self-replicating
- Also called a worm
- Trojan Horse
- A program which appears to be valuable but has an unexpected consequence
How viruses get into computers
- The four most common virus infections come from:
- File – A virus type that infects existing files on the computer (~40%)
- Macro – A virus that runs as a macro in a host application such as the MS Office applications (~35%)
- VBScript – A virus that uses Windows VisualBasic Script functionality (~10%)
- Internet Worm – A virus that is primarily characterized by it’s replication across the Internet (~5%)
The impact of viruses
ICSA Labs estimates that the cost of a virus disaster is between $50,000 and $500,000
Average server downtime for a virus is 14 hours
Basic virus defense
- Don’t open files that you are not expecting
- Many viruses automatically send files without the e-mail account owner’s knowledge.
- Ask the sender to confirm unexpected files.
- Suspect messages that appear more than once in your Inbox
- You may receive the same e-mail from a virus repeatedly.
- Learn file extensions
- Your computer will display both an icon and a file extension for files you receive. Open only file extensions you know are safe.
- When in doubt, call the help desk.
Examples of risky file types
The following file types should never be opened:
- .EXE
- .PIF
- .BAT
- .VBS
- .COM
Office protection
- Office files are mostly data with some program code
- Office macros are programs, which can be viruses
- Office will prompt you to enable macros
- Enable macros only when you know why office is asking
Outlook file security
- Outlook will automatically block some kinds of executable files, but not all
- If you need a file that Outlook blocked, call the help desk
- Do not assume that because the file made it through Outlook that it is safe
Anti-virus warnings
- Notify the help desk when you receive a virus warning from Norton Antivirus, Symantec Antivirus, Trend Micro, etc.
- Most of the time, the virus software will detect and prevent the infection. However, the help desk can better tell you what to do.
Incoming Search Tearms
What is a virus?
What is a virus
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Basic virus terminology
virus terminology
How viruses get into computers
How virus get into computers
How viruses get into computer
The impact of viruses
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Basic virus defense
Office protection
Outlook file security
Anti-virus warnings
Anti-virus warning
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