Attention all computer users! Yes, I mean all computer users. This is much too important to leave it to your IS department. Computer viruses are serious business. They have the potential to bring your entire firm to a halt, within minutes. They can damage your data and your software. They can be expensive to recover from, in lost productivity, down time, data loss, and virus clean up.

Last month a student in the Philippines released a virus that spread quickly around the world, crippling tens of millions of computers. Its damage has been estimated at $10 billion. That’s more effective than many terrorist groups.

It’s clear that having anti-virus software is not enough. We, the computer users, are our best defense. And, like any strategy, computer virus prevention is only as good as its weakest element. It only takes one careless user to create an epidemic. So, let’s get educated about viruses.

Before we get started, let’s get some of the computer virus myths out of the way.

Fact #1: Computers don’t get viruses because someone isn’t doing their job. Most viruses are gotten as a result of users doing normal business activities, not because someone has breached

Effective virus protection demands that users are not punished for reporting a virus. A firm’s primary focus must be on the containment and proper clean up of a virus. This can only be accomplished in an environment where we understand that anyone can get a virus and everyone is responsible for preventing virus infection.

Fact #2: Getting a computer virus does not mean that your IS department isn’t doing its job. McAfee Associates, Inc., an anti-virus software vendor, now maintains a database of more than 53,000 viruses. Experts say six new viruses are discovered every day. Viruses are getting more sophisticated, more damaging, and are reaching more computers.

Defense against this type of a problem requires proper protection established by your IS staff and active participation by you, the user.

Fact #3: You cannot get a virus simply by being on the Internet, or by reading plain text email, or by posting to a newsgroup. You can potentially become infected if your email program allows you to receive messages written in HTML. (These messages look like Web pages in your email.). This is rare and happens only when other security measures are not in place.

Fact #4: Computer viruses cannot damage computer hardware. However, a virus can destroy all the information on a hard drive… the operating system, application software, and data. It can also overwrite the computer’s BIOS (the software that controls the PC’s startup process), requiring the replacement of the computer’s motherboard.

What can you do to help prevent the spread of computer viruses? Here’s a list of things for you to do your part.

1. Always use anti-virus software. Get to know your anti-virus software. This is your first and best defense against computer viruses. Leave it turned on. Verify that it periodically scans your disk for viruses.
2. Update your anti-virus software regularly. Most corporate computers are set up to update the anti-virus software automatically. As a user, verify that this update is taking place. Anti-virus software is only good at finding the viruses it knows about. Experts suggest updating anti-virus software at least once a week. Some high risk areas should be updated more often.
3. Scan all diskettes before using. Some of the oldest viruses are still being passed around on diskettes. Always check before using. If you do find a virus, let the person know who sent it to you. And never leave a diskette in the computer when you turn your system off.
4. Beware of email attachments. Never open an email attachment from someone you don’t know. Never open an email attachment unless you know why you received it. Viruses are smart enough now to use your friend or associate’s address book to send you a virus.
5. Make regular backups. If a virus does infect your PC, its damage can be minimized with current backups. If you need to restore from backups, make sure you scan them for viruses first.
6. Avoid downloadable newsgroup files. Newsgroup files can be a breeding ground for infected files. Avoid them.
7. Only download files from the Internet from sources you trust. When you do download a file, place it in a folder on your hard drive and scan it for viruses before opening it.
8. Don’t fall for the hoaxes. You can’t get a virus just by reading email, so delete those hoax emails when you get them. Don’t participate in the frantic forwarding of such messages.
9. If you think you have a virus, don’t panic, don’t keep it a secret… and don’t ignore it. Many viruses don’t do damage right away, or they do much damage without you knowing it. It won’t just go away, and if you don’t clean it up properly, it will be back. Your best defense is to get it cleaned up, get the information and programs necessary to prevent a recurrence of the virus, and get back to work. Let your IS department know, and let anyone who might be affected know. Reporting a virus is a preventive step to identify patterns, high risk areas, and can slow the spread of the virus.

Rarely in today’s world is our connected-ness more noticeable as in the fight against computer viruses. It requires the active participation and cooperation of each and every one of us.

Funny that it takes a computer virus to demonstrate how connected we really are. Just think what could happen if we could visualize the good we send each other, each and every day.

What we do affects all of mankind. Think about it.