Virus? Is it possible??

Not this site another one, Sorry if it sounded like this one.

Re: Virus? Is it possible??


Yes.

cyberphobia- Welcome to A2K!

Craven's answer may be short, but he is long on knowledge of computers. He created and developed A2K.

Any time that you download AND run a file, there is a danger of picking up a virus. That's why you have to be so careful about being very sure about the integrity of the sites where you download. You also have to be sure that the file that you are running has not put spyware on your computer, which could cause havoc.

That is why you need a good virus scan with automatic updates, as well as spyware scans. I use Norton anti-virus. For spyware, I use Spybot Search and Destroy, and Ad-Aware. Both are free downloads, and do an excellent job.

Another thing that you need (especially if you use broadband) is a good firewall. I use Zone Alarm, which is also free. I used to use Zone Alarm Pro (which Craven hated..............called it "bloatware"), but I found that it was so convoluted and intricate, that it became a pain in the butt.
So I ditched that, and installed the free version, which is fine.

It also depends on the site, and the technology used.

Pheonix gives great advice. A good virus blocker software is a must have, especially if you are not an expert with computers.

You can also minimize the risk by knowing what you are doing. If you play a game from a reputible professional site-- e.g. yahoo -- you are almost certainly safe. These sites have a huge professional reputation at stake and hire people to make sure their software doesn't have viruses. The big warning that goes with this is that many big companies now give you spyware (which they don't consider viruses but many of us consider just as bad). Many of the "free software" now being offered on the internet are designed to deliver software in secret you probably don't want.

There are also technologies that are safer than others. Running Java applets over the internet is a pretty safe activity, as are Shockwave files. You computer restricts what these programs can do. As long as you don't give them permission, they are very limited in the number of things they can do. This usually means that they can't do anything bad.

Occassionally you will get a message from on of these programs asking for permission to to something more risky. If you don't trust the site that gave you the program you are using, you should say no.

Downloading a program from a file-sharing program, or loading one from email are the most risky things you can possibly do. Even with a virus checker, I don't do this.

Downloading software from smaller or unknown sites are still pretty risky.

So get a Virus checker software. But, it also is valuable to learn about the different technologies you are using.

When I first bought a computer, the virus updates came once in a while. Now it is almost constant. I am even noticing that my firewall is being upgraded much more often than when I first got it.

As the hackers and other ne'er do wells become more sophisticated, there is more of a chance that a computer user will get into trouble unless he/she is very, very careful.

I have reached a point, that unless I have asked for something, and know the sender very well, I will not open an attachment. If the person is someone that I know well, I will STILL virus scan the attachment again before opening it.

Hmmm - interesting - my Norton has suddenly begun to delete a number of emails over the last couple of days - saying they are infected.

Some are from nowhere I recognize - others are ostensibly from friends....

dlowan- Good ole Norton....just keeps chugging along. I get the same things.