Computer viruses are always a threat on the Internet; therefore, they will be a threat to your business. Whether you’re building, about to buy or sell one; today, you can get one as easy as visiting a web site or opening an email.
Types of Viruses
What a computer virus does is attach itself to files on your hard drive, before replicating itself. These can infect all sorts of files on your computer from programs and system files to Word documents and HTML files. With the Internet now, viruses can spread with astonishing speed.
Trojan Horse
These pretend to serve a useful function such as a screen saver; however, it carries out a more sinister purpose once you run it. It can be anything from using your computer as a host to infect others to wiping out your entire hard drive - that includes important business information, acccounting, designs that you may have stored. Always stop yourself from downloading any kind of software over the Internet unless you are sure of its authenticity.
Computer Worm
Unlike viruses that try to damage the files it infects, a worm’s objective is to replicate itself as quickly and often as possible. These are a major drain on the Internet because they clog up bandwidth.
Knowing the Validity of a Virus
Since the Internet is full of virus hoaxes that you can waste a lot of unnecessary time on, be sure to check your anti-virus software provider’s web site to see if the warning of one is real.
In order to know if a virus is a hoax:
- Determine if the message is from a reputable source;
- Determine if the message encourages you to email it to anyone you know;
- Determine if the link for more information is reputable.
Becoming INFECTED
If you receive a virus, deal with it IMMEDIATELY! The longer you wait, the longer it stays on your computer, inflecting more damage. Some viruses will open up your computer to potential hacking. Remember that there is no way to guarantee that your system doesn’t contain some malicious code that will be used at a future date, even after the virus has been deleted.
Best way for prevention is to reformat your hard drive and reinstall all your software again.
How to Protect Yourself
In order to save your business from thousands of dollars in damages from computer viruses, you need to take special precautions for your business:
- Have the latest anti-virus software on your computer and scan regularly;
- Have installed the latest security patches;
- Delete suspicious email immediately;
- Only download from reputable web sites;
- Regularly back up your databases.