by Joe Wallace
In the last month I’ve been hit by two nasty virus problems. After much head-banging and a lot of good productivity time wasted on fixing the issue, I’m here to tell you there is nothing worse than dealing with this nonsense when on deadline.
The problem with computer viruses is that some people assume that if they get infected, they can just go to Staples and buy anti-virus software. Install it and presto, end of problem!
Er, no. Not quite. Today’s virus behavior includes registry shenanigans that tell your computer not to recognize the virus, or simply disables the virus protection and firewall altogether. What’s worse is that some viruses don’t even set up shop in your computer–they attack your router instead.
Paranoid now?
The best defense and preventive medicine against a virus is a three-step process. Creating a restore point so you can roll back your computer to a pre-infected state is key, but some viruses disable THIS feature, too. You still need it, but be warned–it’s not the failsafe you might think it is.
Step two is to install antivirus programs, sweep the system, and keep sweeping it. I personally use Avast. I DO NOT recommend Norton and am told–I have not verified this so take with a bag of salt–that some viruses actually USE Norton to install themselves. A scary thought.
Also–DO NOT download ANYTHING that advertises itself as a “free registry cleaner”. There will be tears if you do.
Step three is to be vigilant. And virus problems are only ONE of your headaches with staying properly paranoid. Scam artists are just as bad as the viruses.
People STILL get fooled by silly things online, like opening e-mails with attachments from people they don’t know, responding to Facebook messages and Twitter posts like “Haha, is this you?” or anything in an e-mail or IM that says “Click Here”. Please, folks, NEVER “click here”. Especially if it’s supposedly a link to your account where your personal data is located.
Me personally? I DO NOT respond or click on e-mails that come from people I don’t know who open with “Hey”, the dead giveaway that they don’t know me or even my name, but clearly WANT something from me. Paypal, my bank and other online businesses I use have policies telling me they will NEVER send me an e-mail addressing me by anything other than my actual name. “Dear Account Holder” will never ever trick me into clicking on any e-mail supposedly from PayPal or the bank.