Computer Network, Security and Acoustics Consulting Services
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Computer Network, Security and Acoustics Consulting Services
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| Computer VirusesComputer viruses are one of the most destructive and time-consuming problems facing today's businesses. Although viruses can be spread easily through floppy disks or other media, by far the most common transmission medium is through electronic mail. Any effective anti-virus solution these days must include some kind of protection against E-Mail viruses. This may take the form of "real-time enabled" virus checking or anti-virus filters that work with specific E-Mail programs and accounts. "After-the-fact scanners" can help but don't protect you from the initial "infection". DENIAL OF SERVICE ATTACKS Do you have a high power, high speed computer that runs slow as molasses? Some viruses simply use up your computers memory or disk resources. Some may not actually damage files, but a badly impaired computer system that runs much slower than it should may make it almost unusable. This type of attack is referred to as a "Denial of Service attack". Although viruses are not the only things that can slow down a PC, they are the first thing to protect yourself against. MALICIOUS VIRUSES Other viruses can damage your data permanently by renaming files, copying virus files into a known name file, or simply deleting files. If the damage from a virus "payload" is serious enough you could lose much or all of your work. The first thing to do if you think you have one of these is to stop what you are doing and call your system administrator. (Sometimes it is better to NOT shut off the computer. It depends on the type of infection.) New viruses are put into circulation all the time. You must keep your virus definitions up-to-date, as well as the anti-virus program itself (or "engine" as it is sometimes called). VIRUS HOAXES Although not as destructive, virus hoaxes cause unnecessary concern and waste valuable time. These are usually E-Mail messages proclaiming total and utter devastation by viruses that do not exist. They often say something like "A recent report on CNN states that the "ZZZ" virus will... (make your computer monitor flip upside-down and start break-dancing..) or "Microsoft reports that.." or "IBM has announced that a new strain of virus called the..." and "Please send this to everyone you know!!!... " PLEASE DON'T "SEND IT TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW"! Before passing on a message proclaiming the end of the universe check with your system administrator, or check the web sites listed at the end of this page. W32.Nimda.A@mm - This malicious virus gets run by simply reading or opening an infected email message from MS Outlook or Outlook Express. It then produces a mass mailing, creates several security breaches (access to normally secure files and folders), and can result in a "denial of service" due to the resources it uses. A computer can also be infected with this virus through a web site! Some web servers are also infected with the virus. If you are visiting a web site and are prompted to download a file with a ".eml" extension, DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT. This virus also attaches itself to existing executable files and will run in the background when you run some other program that appears to run normally. Please notify your system administrator immediately if you think you have this virus. Microsoft has released updates to MS Outlook software and IIS that will defeat this virus if they are installed prior to the attack. www.microsoft.com To get more information on specific viruses, or to look up to see if an E-Mail you received is a hoax check the following sites: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/index.html http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACVirusDatabase.html http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp There are many sources of virus related information but this is a good start.
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