Protect Your Computer From Viruses and Worms

With "always on" internet becoming a common item in homes, so does the chance of your computer being infected with a virus or a worm. So, what are viruses and worms and what can you do to prevent your computer from getting them?

A computer virus is very similar to a virus that people or animals can get. It infects your computer and makes it sick. They also spread just like regular viruses. An infected computer can send out the virus to another computer through an email attachment or it can attach itself onto a file that has been put on a floppy disk or a cdrom. Viruses also live in the "wild" and just by clicking around on websites. You could accidentally get one of the infected files onto your computer. A computer virus must piggyback on top of some other program or document in order to get executed. Once it is running, it is then able to infect other programs or documents.

Worms are a little different than viruses. A worm is a computer program that has the ability to copy itself from machine to machine. Worms normally move around and infect other machines through computer networks. Using a network, a worm can expand from a single copy incredibly quickly. A worm usually exploits some sort of security hole in a piece of software or the operating system.

Most viruses and worms target computers running the Windows operating system. While there are some that affect other types of computers, such as Macintosh or Linux, they aren't that wide spread. So, how do you protect your computer from a virus or worm infection?

One of the most common ways that worms and viruses get onto computers is through email attachments. You know when your friends and families send you those emails with pictures or programs or games? Those are attachments. If you happen to get an infected attachment and open it, the virus or worm can get into your computer. The easiest way to keep your computer from getting infected by attachments is to just not open up an attachment at all.

However, if you don't think you can go without opening up email attachments, you should invest in some type of anti virus software. There are several brands of anti virus software that you can purchase at computer stores or even your local Wal-Mart or K-Mart. Two of the most widely used brands are Norton Anti-Virus and McAfee Anti-Virus. Both of these cost between $30 and $50.

If you don't think you or your parents can afford one of these programs, you should try out "Stinger". "Stinger" is a stand-alone anti-virus program put out by the people at McAfee that will scan your computer for the 40 most recent viruses and remove them from your computer if any are found. You can download "Stinger" here: http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger. After you scan your computer for viruses and worms, you will want to try and "protect" it to keep it from future infections. One way is to install a firewall on your computer. Basically, a firewall is a barrier to keep destructive forces away from your property. In fact, that's why it's called a firewall. Its job is similar to a physical firewall that keeps a fire from spreading from one area to the next. There are a few good free firewalls available. While Georgia 4-H doesn't support any software mentioned in this article, Zone Alarm is a good, free firewall program to use. You can download Zone Alarm by clicking here.

The firewall will help keep bad files, such as worms or viruses, from coming into your computer through "open doors" or ports in your computer. Some viruses and worms will transmit themselves by traveling on packets of data through the internet. These viruses and worms are said to live in the "wild" and can infect your computer by just clicking on websites. Those types of worms or viruses can actually be controlled by malicious hackers, who want to gain access to your computers or use your computer to gain access to other people's computers. The firewall will help you block off your computer from these types of attacks, called Denial of Service attacks.

While there is no real "safe" computer, you can install programs that will help keep yours safe. By installing an anti virus program you can keep your computer pretty safe from viruses and worms. Anti-virus software has updates available every month that you can download and install on your computer. These updates have the most up-to-date information about the newest viruses and will catch any malicious files that might get on your computer. Also, combined with a firewall, you can rest assured that your computer will be pretty safe and secure. Just remember to keep your anti virus software updated every month.

For more information you can look at these websites:

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/virus.htm

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/firewall.htm

By:

Nicole Batten,
Georgia 4-H Technology Leadership Team Member