The term "Virus" is now used to mean all sorts of self-replicating software that spreads from computer to computer.

The only way to be sure your computer won't be attacked by a virus is to... leave it in the box you bought it in with the power off! There are, however 4 things that you can do that provide good protection:

a. Install an anti-virus package. This software detects threats and can deal with them. We use McAfee Virus-Scan Online and it seems to do the job quite well. New virus' come out all the time so you need to ensure that your anti-virus package is kept up to date.

b. Install a firewall. Some virus' (actually they're called worms... but that's beside the point) travel directly from computer to computer, not through email, floppy disks or file sharing networks. We recommend ZoneAlarm- it's a bit too "talkative" at first but it soon settles down and provides great protection.

c. Learn more about safe computing, such as not running files you're not sure of, not opening suspicious attachments, not allowing "helpful" software from web sites onto your computer.

d. If you can, get your ISP (Internet Service Provider) to do anti-virus screening of your email in addition to using anti-virus software: Their software should always be up to date. You still need your own anti-virus software because email protection won't help you if you get a virus by other means.

There are now a variety of virus' that send email to people claiming to be from someone else known to the computer with the virus. If Fred knows Alan and Basil, a virus on Fred's computer might send an email to Alan pretending it's from Basil, and send one to Basil claiming it's from Alan.

If you get a virus from someone, it's no longer worth replying to tell them they have a virus- they probably don't. Just follow the procedures in this guide to reduce your risks.

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