How can you protect your computer and network from virus attacks? With everyday $50 software! It is remarkable to me how many computer users either do not own - or do not use - their anti virus software but surf the internet and use email all day long! All it takes is a few dollars and a few minutes to protect themselves - and their unsuspecting friends in their address book - from virus and worm attacks. In fact, half of all calls to our company's TECH HOTLINE regarding virus attacks came from users who did not even own antivirus software; while the other half who did own it were not properly using it or had not updated their inoculations since they installed it. 

First, buy some software!
Don't download "free" antivirus software - because the level of protection will be equivalent to what you paid for: nothing! Purchase quality software such as Symantec's Norton Antivirus or McAfee's Virus Scan . These programs are designed and updated by professionals who monitor virus threats every day and have the research and distribution systems users need to stay ahead of virus attacks.

Second, install it properly! Too many users of antivirus software have improperly installed the program. The most common mis-intallation involves loading the software but not configuring it to "actively" scan all incoming and outgoing files. Active scanning means that the software setups a filtering process that checks every incoming email message as it arrives and monitors each outgoing message as it is transmitted. Additionally, active scans monitor files that are loaded from a network user or via diskette or zip disk. If active scanning is not running, then protection relies upon the user to remember to launch their antivirus software periodically. Need we say more? Clearly, busy users are not going to check their systems daily - so in effect, they are not protecting themselves at all.

Third, make sure your software is up to date!
A common misconception of many antivirus software owners is that they are all set once they purchase and install the software. Wrong! Installation is only the first step - frequently updating the inoculation list is a daily or weekly event! Think of updating antivirus software as getting a "booster" shot from your doctor. You need to "boost" or update the list of antivirus detections and repair tools frequently, because new viruses are coming out all of the time. Nobody gets last year's cold - and most people don't get last year's computer virus: The threats come from the latest viruses that are newer than the inoculations that came with the software when it was first purchased. Most antivirus software can be setup to remind you daily or weekly to updated their files. Usually, all it takes is a few clicks to download the latest protections from the internet. Most programs come with a few months of free updates and then require a yearly subscription fee to continue receiving updates. The fee is minimal compared to the massive expense of repairing the damage done by just one virus attack - so be sure to sign up and update frequently.

What happens when the antivirus software detects a virus?
When a user opens an infected file or receives an infected email, properly configured and updated antivirus software will automatically catch it and stop the user with a big warning screen. The virus will be identified and options for dealing with the virus will be offered, including:

1. Delete the file. Usually, this is the best option, since repairing the file usually results in file corruption anyway, so the data will probably be useless. It may not be worth the risk of repairing damaged files and potentially risking further infection or stealth viruses being released on your system. We almost always recommend users simply delete the infected file and try to get another copy from their backup or from the email sender.
2. Repair the file. Certain simple viruses such as macro viruses attached to word processing files or spreadsheets may be removed completely by your antivirus software. Users should have high confidence when choosing the repair option, as well as a recent backup, in case of partial repair and further damage by a mutated virus.
3. Quarantine the file. Most antivirus programs have a special mode that can detect "virus-like" file activity even if they does not detect an actual virus by name or activity. This type of "heuristic logic" is employed to use virus models as a filter against the "latest" viruses that spread faster than the inoculations can be developed. So if a virus threat is detected and the user is not sure how to deal with it, the infected file can be quarantined in a safe are of their system. Then, the user can actually submit the file to their antivirus software vendor for analysis and potential repair. In fact, this is a common way that these companies are alerted to new threats, by users who are the first to contract them and send them in for analysis. Users should be careful when choosing this method of dealing with viruses because it is possible for the virus still to be activated, spread and do its damage, even from quarantine!