| Viruses, Anti-Virus software, and Hoaxes
A virus is a computer program that was written to hide and replicate itself, transferring itself from computer to computer by infecting (copying itself to) diskettes or most often today via the Internet. The effects of the virus vary from being a harmless prank like a message that shows up on Christmas day wishing you a "Merry Xmas", to a malicious virus that deletes your files and incapacitates your computer. For this reason it is very important to maintain multiple dated backups of any important work that you may have, as well as to take precautionary measures to reduce the risk of infecting your computer.
Anti-Virus software is designed to detect and, whenever possible, remove viruses. However, keep in mind that an Anti-virus program is almost always outdated on the day that you purchase it and that is why it is essential to install the software and download the latest updates. Most Anti-virus software manufacturers provide free weekly updates to their software for a period of time after you buy their product. You may extend this time by paying an annual update fee.
The Semantec Corporation created another popular anti-virus program called the Norton Anti-Virus software.
Installing an Antivirus program is not a gurantee that you are automatically safe from viruses. You should always practice safe computing. Do not open files that you have downloaded off the Internet without scanning them for viruses. Even if you receive mail from a friend, your friend may have unwittingly sent you an infected file. Always be safe: download and scan the file before you open it. If someone gives you a diskette, scan it prior to opening any files on the diskette.
If you think the virus problem is being exaggerated, visit Network Associate's Virus Information library to read about the over 50,000 viruses that they have documented.
A byproduct that thrives on the fear generated by viruses are virus hoaxes. A hoax is spread by well intentioned individuals who believe that they are doing the right thing. The unfortunate downside is that people who get annoyed by the hoaxes tend to start ignoring real warnings, and thereby infect their computers and spread viruses. The Computer Incident Advisory Committee at the US Department of Energy maintains an excellent Hoax busters website that offers you information on how to identify a hoax. |
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Adware and Spyware
Adware - So called "free" Programs are now being offered with built in advertisements for other products. You consent to viewing the advertisements as the "price" that you pay to use the software. The extent to which these advertisements impose on your computing experience varies from displaying little commercials in a small window or popping up messages and web pages, to tracking and logging your web browsing habits and transmitting that information to a server that then builds up a user profile on you. This profile is valuable information because the people who have this information can sell your contact information to companies who wish to target your demographic. A description of the advertising and tracking software is usually buried in the user agreement that most of us click though without ever bothering to read! The popular peer-to-peer file sharing software Morpheus® was featured in a story at the popular news site CN
 
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Spyware - Very similar to the above except that it does not even bother to get your consent - rather it installs and lurks on your machine, tracking your usage habits and reporting to a server that will build your user profile for sale to advertisers.
This profile can be used pop up advertisements based on the web sites that you visit. Example: ACME Film Inc advertisement will pop up whenever you visit the Kodak®, Fuji®, or any similar photography related website.
Similar to anti-virus software, there now are programs that will search and remove spyware. Some examples are SpyBot and Ad-Aware for Windows machines and iClean for Macintosh and Windows machines. These programs will search your machine for known ad-ware and spyware and give you the option to remove them. |
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