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Quick Definitions Virus: A program or code that replicates; that is, infects another program, boot sector, partition sector, or document that supports macros, by inserting itself or attaching itself to that medium. Most viruses only replicate, though, many do a large amount of damage as well. Worm: A program that makes copies of itself; for example, from one disk drive to another, or by copying itself using email or another transport mechanism. The worm may do damage and compromise the security of the computer. It may arrive in the form of a joke program or software of some sort. Trojan Horse: A program that neither replicates nor copies itself, but causes damage or compromises the security of the computer. Typically, an individual emails a Trojan Horse to you-it does not email itself-and it may arrive in the form of a joke program or software of some sort. Hoax: Usually an email that gets mailed in chain letter fashion describing some devastating, highly unlikely type of virus. Hoaxes are detectable as having no file attachment, no reference to a third party who can validate the claim, and by the general tone of the message. General Virus Information What is a computer virus? A computer virus is a program - a piece of executable code - that has the unique ability to replicate. Like biological viruses, computer viruses can spread quickly and are often difficult to eradicate. They can attach themselves to just about any type of file and are spread as files that are copied and sent from individual to individual. Besides replication, some computer viruses have something else in common: a damage routine that can deliver the virus payload. While payloads may only display messages or images, they can also destroy files, reformat your hard drive, or cause other kinds of damage. If the virus does not contain a damage routine, it can still cause trouble by taking up storage space and memory, and downgrading the overall performance of your computer. Several years ago most viruses spread primarily via floppy disk, but the Internet has introduced new virus distribution mechanisms. With email now used as an important business communication tool, viruses are spreading faster than ever. Viruses attached to email messages can infect an entire enterprise in a matter of minutes, costing companies millions of dollars annually in productivity loss and clean-up expenses. Most Viruses are written for, and affect Microsoft Windows machines. Generally, there are three main classes of viruses: File infectors. These viruses attach themselves to program files, usually selected .COM or .EXE files. Some can infect any program for which execution is requested, including .SYS, .OVL, .PRG, and .MNU files. When the program is loaded, the virus is loaded as well. System or boot-record infectors. These viruses infect executable code found in certain system areas on a disk. They attach to the DOS boot sector on diskettes or the Master Boot Record on hard disks. A typical scenario (familiar to the author) is to receive a diskette from an innocent source that contains a boot disk virus. When your operating system is running, files on the diskette can be read without triggering the boot disk virus. However, if you leave the diskette in the drive, and then turn the computer off or reload the operating system, the computer will look first in your A drive, find the diskette with its boot disk virus, load it, and make it temporarily impossible to use your hard disk. This is why you should make sure you have a bootable floppy. Macro viruses. These are among the most common viruses, and they tend to do the least damage. Macro viruses infect your Microsoft Word application and typically insert unwanted words or phrases. How to protect yourself against viruses The best protection against a virus is to know the origin of each program or file you load into your computer. Since this is difficult, you should install anti-virus software that typically checks all of your files periodically and removes any viruses that are found. For additional information, read the virus tips page Virus Hoaxes! From time to time, you may get an e-mail message warning of a new virus. Chances are good that the warning is a virus hoax and contain bogus information intended only to frighten or confuse users. Please check official antivirus sites before forwarding such emails. Both Mcafee and Norton websites have a section on hoaxes.

Other Resources: Symantec Antivirus Center McAfee Virus Info

VIRUS HELP! If you require professional assistance eradicating potentially destructive viruses from your system, simply call tech support at 905-685-1539 (select option 3) and make an appointment to bring your computer in to Vaxxine. For a modest fee, we will run a scan and rid your machine of all virus files. *Some limitations may apply depending on the virus and amount of damage