Tuesday, April 01, 2025
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Protecting yourself (and others) from Virus' and Trojan Horses

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  1. If you don't have virus protection, get it. If you have it, make sure its definitions are updated at least weekly.
  2. Windows users should go to WindowsUpdate.microsoft.com at least monthly to get patches.
  3. Don't count on just virus protection or spam blockers. If you have a constant on style connection like DSL or Roadrunner you need a firewall. ZoneAlarm works partially as a software firewall, but software firewalls like ZoneAlarm and the one built into Windows are only as good as your ability to configure them. I highly recommend using a hardware firewall that's contained in Cable/DSL routers instead. Cable/DSL modems do not provide any protection.
  4. Remember that many of the virus' and Trojan horses work by tricking you into doing something. They do this by spoofing where they came from, leading you to believe it's from someone you know. I'll never send you an email from "the twincitytc.org team" asking you to run some program.
  5. Verify before spreading virus reports. If you get a note from someone saying "do this to keep yourself safe" don't forward it to 100 people without validating it from a trusted source, such as www.symantec.com. Many virus' don't do anything themselves, but spread and do damage by having people delete files by hand. No virus checker \ spam blocker will stop that.
  6. Don't send notes to 100 people with all their email addresses in the header. Use BCC (blind carbon copy) for all large lists. Many virus' and Trojan horses spread by harvesting email addresses from your inbox / outbox or address book. If you make all the email addresses visible to the receiver you've just made everyone on that list vulnerable to more virus or spam attacks.
  
  

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Computer Associates Advisor Threat Alerts

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