Prevention Tips
Anti-virus software alone is not enough to defend your computer from virus attacks. When a new virus appears, it can take a day or more for anti-virus manufacturers to respond to the threat and make a fix available. You can significantly reduce the risk of a virus infection by following these simple guidelines.
Install a reliable anti-virus software on your computer. Configure your anti-virus software to run automatically on start-up. Use the software to scan e-mail attachments, downloaded files, removable disks, and your hard drive to ensure that you are always protected.
Update your anti-virus software regularly. With many new threats being discovered each day, it is essential to keep your anti-virus software up-to-date. New threats can easily slip by software that is not current. Most anti-virus software is easy to update online with options to do so automatically.
Exercise caution when downloading files from the Internet. Download only from reputable sites and scan the files before executing them.
Always scan removable disks before using them. This is important, especially if you are using the disk to carry information from one computer to another.
Treat all e-mail attachments as potential virus threats.
Do not open any e-mail attachments from an unknown, suspicious or untrustworthy source.
Do not open any e-mail attachments unless you know what it is, even if it appears to come from someone you know. If you are not expecting an attachment, call or reply to the sender before opening it to make sure they intended to send it to you. Delete any attachment you cannot verify with the sender.
Always let your e-mail recipient know, in your e-mail message description, what your attachment contains. Likewise, only open attachments that have been described in e-mail messages you receive.
Never open an attachment directly. Save the file to your hard drive and scan it with your anti-virus software before opening it.
Do not open any e-mail attachments with double extensions, such as .jpg.vbs or .gif.exe.
Install all necessary security patches on your computer. Check with your product vendors for updates for your operating system, web browser, e-mail application, and other programs. Keeping your software up to date ensures you have fewer vulnerabilities that can be exploited.
Back up your files on a regular basis. If a virus destroys your files, at least you can restore your data from the backup. You should store your backup in a separate location from your work files, one that is preferably not on your computer.