Few potential
problems cause more anxiety for business owners and managers than the threat of a
destructive virus. Whenever your employees connect to the Internet or read email, they
throw the doors open wide for a potential infection. Allowing employees to share removable
media such as floppy disks or CD-ROM disks with others can also put your system in
jeopardy. And once a single computer on your premises is infected, the results can be
devastating. Here's a sampling of what can occur:
- You may find critical data suddenly corrupted,
inaccessible, or non-existent.
- You may spread the infection across the entire
computer network.
- You may spread the virus to your entire client
list by email and give your a business a bad reputation that will be difficult, if not
impossible, to reverse.
- You may lose days or even weeks of time restoring
and reconstructing your systems and data storage after reformatting your hard drive.
And
even if you're able to successfully recover from an infection, consider the time and
expense involved, as well as the potential loss of business during reconstruction.
Most of us find it hard to understand why anyone
would deliberately create a computer virus, but the fact is that these threats exist. The
creation of malicious computer programming, whether in the form of a virus, Trojan Horse,
or worm, is not currently illegal in the United States because of First Amendment
protection. To make matters even worse, the creation of viruses is no longer limited to
those individuals who are programming literate. A number of Web sites allow access to
virus creation "kits" that enable even computer novices to create and distribute
destructive code.
Hardly
a week goes by without the announcement of yet another virus that's spreading like
wildfire across the Internet. And everyone is vulnerable, from the individual home
computer user to the largest corporation. Witness the destructive worldwide attacks and
accompanying losses that have occurred in recent months from culprits like Melissa and the
Love Bug. Research from Information Week estimated a $1.5 trillion loss to
businesses worldwide for the year 2000 alone, due to viruses and malicious hacking.
Fortunately, there are several ways you can
minimize your risk.
Protect
Your System
Your first step in protecting your system is to
install anti-virus software to automatically monitor every computer you and your employees
use, and to check for updates frequently to make sure that the software has the most
recent virus lists to protect against. Two of the more common programs are Norton Anti
Virus™ and McAfee Virus Scan™. Basic versions of both software programs are
available in a convenient downloadable form; Norton Anti Virus for $39.95 and McAfee Virus Scan for $29.95. Both programs are easy to
install and use, and a snap to keep updated.
Many
other anti-virus programs are also available. To find them, simply perform a Web search
for "anti-virus software," or go to software distribution sites like these:
When you have installed the software,
immediately scan your system for possible infections. You'll quickly be able to tell if
your system is already infected and the software will help you eliminate any viruses
found, as well as repair infected files where possible.
Once
your system is "clean," it's important to continue to use the software on a
regular basis. For most computer users, the best choice is to take advantage of automatic
scanning options that will look for possible viruses any time you or your employees
receive email, download from the Internet, or open files that could be infected.
You also need to regularly update the virus
definitions the software uses to scan your system. Anti-virus software providers are
constantly gathering information about the latest viruses, and working to identify
specific code sequences that create the "virus." Both Norton and McAfee provide
updates on their Web sites that you can download; check for changes to their virus
definitions list at least twice a month and install them according to the instructions
provided by the vendor. Unless you do so, having anti-virus software installed will not
necessarily help you.
Even
when you maintain updates, it is important to understand that newly created viruses
frequently wreak havoc before anti-virus Internet sites can be updated with the latest
virus definitions. So, in addition to software protection, you will need to implement
procedures in your business environment that will help you and your employees protect your
data from harm.
Use Back Ups
Regardless of the added expense and headache,
maintain a strict policy of backing up critical files on a frequent basis. This will give
you the ability to recover data should the worst happen and your original files are
destroyed. You should store your backup files in a location that is remote from your
system; there are two main options available:
- Removable media such as floppy disks, tape backup
cartridges or CD ROM.
- Remote storage of your data files on one of the
many remote data storage Internet sites currently available.
Although
created primarily for businesses that require storage of large amounts of data, off-site
Internet data depositories can also keep your critical files secure and easily recoverable
in case you suffer a serious infection. Some sites that offer this service include:
Periodic
backups of your entire system are also worth the investment. They will prevent the loss of
valuable programs, guard against wasting hours on software reinstallations, and make
system recovery much easier and quicker. Many types of backup programs are available,
depending on your specific needs. Again, a Web search will turn up many options for your
consideration.
Train Your Employees
The vast majority of virus infections are spread
through email. Even with virus scanning set to scan incoming email messages, make sure
that your employees stay alert to potential virus dangers. You can minimize your risk by
making sure that everyone who uses your computers adheres to the following procedures:
- Never open an email attachment unless they are
sure it is one they have requested or expect to receive. Recognizing the sender does not
provide any assurance that the email or its attachment is "clean" because a
number of viruses replicate by sending themselves to everyone listed in the infected
system's address book.
- Avoid opening attachments that do not include a
message from the sender. Although this is certainly not foolproof, the lack of any kind of
communication from the sender should be considered a "red flag" that the
attachment may be a virus waiting to attack.
- Be cautious when downloading from the Internet,
and never download data from an unknown source.
- Be careful to read the entire file name of any
email attachment, and be suspicious of any that have a .exe, .vbs, or similar file
extension. Most viruses are small, executable programs that have to be run on the system
to do their dirty work, but in most cases simply opening the file will cause it to run.
Treat files like this as potential threats unless you can confirm with certainty that they
are legitimate files from a trusted source.
- Do not use the company's computer for personal
correspondence or non-professional use. Many email viruses are disguised as humor, or
include messages that clearly don't appear appropriate to a business environment. By
setting a policy that instructs your employees not to send personal correspondence and to
delete (without opening) any non-business email that comes in, you'll reduce the overall
volume of email the system receives, along with the potential for infection.
Other
Help
Online virus scanning services have recently
developed and are expanding their services, creating another option to help you fight
viruses in your business environment. In some cases you can set your email to redirect to
an online service's site where it is scanned before it is forwarded to your in-box. Other
sites allow you to scan your system for viruses while you're working online.
Just a few of the sites offering these types of
services include:
Be
Cautious -- Not Neurotic
Another aspect of the computer virus picture
that bears examination is the problem of virus hoaxes. You may receive emails from time
to time from well-meaning friends and acquaintances that warn you about new viruses. These
messages frequently read much like old-fashioned chain letters, and often come from
"a friend of a friend" but generally contain incorrect or misleading
information. A frequent tip-off is the inclusion of the plea to, "Send this to
everyone you know." All this accomplishes is an increase in the volume of unnecessary
email and SPAM traveling around the World Wide Web.
Hoaxbusters
is an excellent Web site where you can get detailed information about virus hoaxes, how to
recognize them, and what you should do about them.
In
Conclusion ...
Most of us have probably entertained fantasies
from time to time about what we would do if we could just get our hands on the individual
who created the most recent virus that threatened our systems. But since that's not really
a practical (or in most cases, legal!) option, our best bet is to remain vigilant. By
making use of the many resources available and by maintaining a stringent policy of
regularly scanning your system along with incoming email, downloads and files on
removable media from other sources, you can greatly minimize the potential of a
destructive virus attack. |
