Every year, millions of computer users become victims of viruses and other malware infections, resulting in huge losses of time and money. Today, most viruses are spread through email attachments. In this article, we present some useful pointers that will help secure your system from email viruses and prevent losses caused by them.
Do Not Open Attachments Directly
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The best way to deal with emails that come with attachments is to save the attachments on your hard drive and scan them for virus infections before you open them.
Install an Antivirus Tool
An unprotected PC is an easy prey to viruses and other malware programs. Install an antivirus suite on your PC and ensure that it is always running in the background. Also, make sure that the antivirus tool you choose provides real-time protection and checks incoming and outgoing emails for infections. Furthermore, always keep your antivirus software up-to-date with the latest virus definitions and security updates. Failure to do so may put your system at risk against the latest viruses spreading on the Internet.
Disable Windows Scripting Host on Your PC
Some versions of Microsoft Outlook and Internet Explorer include a functionality that allows these applications to run programs written using the Visual Basic scripting language. This functionality is exploited by viruses, such as the "Love Letter" virus, which has infected thousands of computers since May, 2000. Disabling Windows Scripting Host will protect your system against viruses that use the scripting exploit to propagate. By default, Windows Scripting Host is enabled on Windows 2000/ME/XP/2003. Perform the following steps to disable Visual Basic scripts from running on these versions of Windows computers:
Right-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop and select Open to access the My Computer window.
Go to the Tools menu and select Folder Options.
Next, click the File Types tab.
Locate and select the VBScript File.
Next, press the Delete Button. A dialog box will appear asking you to confirm the removal of this file, click Yes.Enable Virus Protection in Microsoft Office Products
Microsoft Office products come with a macro-virus protection option. If this option is turned off on your system, enable it to prevent macro-viruses from running automatically when you open the document in which they are embedded. You can do this by performing the following steps:
Open any Microsoft Office application, such as Word or Excel.
Go to Tools menu, click Macros and then Security.
Next, click on the Security Level tab and either select option High (in case you do not work with macros at all) or Medium (if you work with macros).Keep your Operating System Updated
Manufacturers of operating systems and other computer software constantly release new security updates and patches to improve the functionality of their software and to fix any newly discovered security bugs. Therefore, it is important to keep your software updated with the latest hotfixes, security releases, and patches that are released by the vendor to beef up your system's overall performance and security.
Install an Antispyware Tool
An antispyware tool is as essential as an antivirus tool when using a computer connected to the Internet. These days scanning an email attachment with just an antivirus tool is not enough because the attachment may contain a spyware program. An antivirus tool cannot detect the presence of spyware in the email attachment. Although the spyware program will not contain a virus, it may download viruses onto your computer once it deactivates your antivirus tool.
Email Viruses - How to Prevent Them
Following these steps along with using a recommended antispyware tool will help keep your PC virus and spyware free.
Peter Herme is a computer system administrator with over 20 years of experience. After his very own PC was infected with spyware and losing years' worth of personal files, he has vowed never to let something like that happen to him or another computer user again. As a result, he tried out various antispyware programs and learned how to properly secure his computer from spyware, malware, adware, viruses, and other computer attacks. His website details his research and is constantly updated with tips on preventing and removing spyware.
http://www.spywarefixpro.com
He knows the feeling of having your computer infected and at risk of losing your personal data. He hopes his advice will help and educate you.
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