Computer Viruses and E-mail Guidelines
Computer viruses come in many forms. Most viruses are created to either pass on a message or to simply be annoying to those who have computers infected with the virus. Very few viruses are actually damaging to your computer but there are some that can cause data loss, file corruption and e-mail problems. In the past most viruses were passed through files on floppy disks. As the use of the Internet has soared so has the newest form of passing computer viruses. E-mail now makes it easy for malicious computer programmers to create computer viruses and disseminate them throughout the world to unsuspecting e-mail users. When dealing with viruses and e-mail there are a few simple things you should practice and keep in mind in order to keep your computer and your data secure:
1 - The most important step to take when dealing with viruses is to simply NEVER open any e-mail attachments unless you are 100% sure they are safe. The only truly safe attachments are picture files with .jpg, .bmp or .gif extensions. Almost any other file including .doc files can contain viruses although most .doc files are safe. Files with a .exe, .pif or .bat extension should NEVER be opened under any circumstances regardless of who sends them to you. Files with those extensions are executable or batch files and most viruses are of this type. These types of files can do anything from copying a virus to your computer and e-mailing it to others, to deleting or damaging system files from your computer. If you receive an e-mail message with a file attachment and you cannot see what type of extension the file has then it is recommended that you delete the message without opening the attachment.
2 -Never forward file attachments to others no matter how nice, cute, helpful or friendly they may appear to be. People who create computer viruses have no regard for you or your computer and will disguise their viruses behind Christmas, religious, health and other seemingly harmless themes without thinking twice.
3 - Always keep your virus scanning software up to date. If your virus scanning software ever pops up a message asking if you want to update then always go ahead and do it. Hundreds of viruses are created each week and virus scanning software companies usually put out virus definition updates every 2-4 weeks.
4 - If you receive an e-mail with an attachment you are unsure of don't panic. Simply delete the e-mail message from your Inbox and then delete it from your Deleted Items folder. By deleting suspicious messages completely off of your system then you are not in danger of infecting your computer. There are a few viruses that can be spread by simply opening the main e-mail message but these are very rare and updated virus scanning software will usually detect these viruses.
I hope these guidelines can help you keep your data secure when working on the Internet and with e-mail. If you any questions or think your computer has a virus please contact the technology department.