What is a virus?
A virus is a specific type of malware that replicates itself, and may send itself on without your intervention, or with minimal assistance from you - assistance that you don't know you are providing. Fortunately, tehre is a lot you can do to minimize your chances of getting hit. And, many of these steps also help avoid some of the issue with spam (unwanted commecial email - often with content that is seriously problematic.) They certainly help with the issues of other types of malware. Please see Anti-virus resources for tools to help you avoid and prevent viruses.
How to avoid and fight viruses
There are several things that you can do to minimize your chances of being infected by a virus.
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Use an up-to-date anti-virus tool
This includes the scanner itself, and the "signature files" that the program uses to detect and block viruses. Make sure that you update the signatures at least weekly, and if you can autmate it, set it up for once a day. And, update the program itself monthly. Unless your system is really old and slow, have the scanner running at all times, so that it can detect files and virus activity on the spot. Running a full scan periodically is a good idea also. If your scanner is not on full-time, you should run a full scan at least once a week.
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Never open unexpected email file attachments
If you get a file from someone you don't know, it is quite probable that it is a virus or spam. Even if you get an unexpected file from someone you know, make sure that the person actually sent it, and the he knows what is in it. Sometimes, a person might be infected by a virus, and that virus sends itself on without the knowledge of the owner of the computer. Worse, sometimes that virus won't use the name of the owner of the computer, but a random name from that person's email address book or incoming emails. That means that the "From" on the email doesn't tell you anything about the file.
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Set your email reader either to text or not to run anything
Email is one of the most common carriers of viruses, but the virus is not always in a file attachment. In some cases, the virus is actually in the email. However, you can set your email reader to limit the ability of the virus to run. At minimum, if your email program has the capability to allow things to run from the email, turn it off. If you set your reader to show only text, you get the same effect - and you don't get pictures, either, which is a very good thing, especially if your spam filter is not that effective.
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Be careful of downloading and installing files unless you can be very, very sure of the source
Even legitimate program may have content that is problematic, although in those cases you will probably find offensive advertising rather than full blown viruses, although some will also have different types of spyware. In most cases, the way to avoid that is to actually purchase the software rather than using the free - but ad supported - version. (Bear in mind that advertising, no mater the source, generally contains some of the worst material one could think of.) In other cases, even the fully paid for version may have spyware. In such a case, the only option, in my opinion, is to not use the software.
If this is true of legitimate software from established companies, think of how much more likely it is to be from unknown sources. There are, in fact, many useful and spyware free programs from small, unknown companies and individuals - some of which are even free. But, you must do your research very carefully, and double-check everything if your research is not conclusive.
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Think twice about clicking links
If you are at a site that you trust and the link will only go to another part of the site, you should be ok. If the link does not go where you expected, then the site has most probably been hacked. Get off the site, and let the site owner know what you experienced.
Unless you are on a site that has a and appropriate careful policy about external links, you cannot be sure that any link is both safe and appropriate. The biggest source of risk is sites that allow members to post links. But, even links posted by the site owner / manager may be problematic. There are several possible issues. In some cases, the site owner may not be careful enough. In others, the owner's policies may simply not accord with your standards.
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Avoid any site that offers anything illegal or shady
This should not need to be said, but far too many infections happen because someone used a file-sharing program, or used a site that offered "free" software that is not legally free. Besides the legal, halachik and ehrlichkeit issues presented by such actions, they simply leave you wide open to some of the worst malware. (This is a perfect example of how midos tovos can actually protect you on the internet.)
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Be cautious with free software and services
There are actually many good and reputable programs and services that really are free. But, it is very important to check things out. Why is the product free? Is the author trying to make money in a different way? The answers to these questions can make a real difference in whether you should use it.
In some cases, the author has created the software as a labor of love or for his own education or similar reasons. In such cases, you will often see a request for voluntary donations. But, check such claims out carefully; if you cannot get any feedback from someone who has knowledge of the program, stay away. Some programs or services are free, because the author believes that the item offered is so compelling that people will be willing to pay for an upgrade. (This site is hosted by such a service.)
Then there are the ones that are a vehicle for advertising. As a general rule, I recommend against ad supported software and services. Ads, on and off line, tend to have huge tznius issues, even for perfectly acceptable products - even for products where one would not have imagined that the issue would come up. And, unfortunately, I'm not just talking about women not properly dressed, or men and women together. I'm talking about women in dresses and poses that are provocative by the lowest standards, and men and woman all over each other. (Pardon the crudity, but it's the least objectionable way I can think of to describe the problem.) And, of course, there is also the issue of the potential inappropriateness of what may be advertised. There are exceptions, but not too many. (Google is a notable one, because of the way they manage their advertising.) So, the default position should be "no" until you find out why it's ok, rather than "yes" until you find what is wrong.
There are also products that are really intended to introduce you to a product and then get you to upgrade to a more extensive version, which you would pay for. If this information is clear and easy to find, then it's fine. However, if there are pressure or scare tactics used to get you to upgrade, it's best to stay away. Also, in some cases, the vendor makes it clear that they really only want you to use the introductory version for a short time. This is a situation which should, in my opinon, be presented to a Rov. But, in a case where the vendor is clear that you can use the free version as long as you want but "we really hope you will upgrade because you like the product so much" there is no problem. This wiki host is an example of this type of situation. This host has different level products, with the lowest level being free. They do try to "upsell", but they don't put pressure. They had the best feature set of all the free, ad free wiki hosts that were available at the time I started this site, so I chose them.
Lastly, there are products that are free to create a vehicle for a different, and more profitable product. Pre-internet days, Gillette used this model to create a ver profitable business line. They provided free razors, and you bought the blades. They made quite a bit of oney on this. They are not the only vendor that has done this. The Adobe Acrobat reader is the classic coputer case. Adobe made the reader free in order to encourage people to buy the products to create the content that the reader can read. It worked very, very well for them. This model has many variations, but most of the time, the specifics of how this works don't directly affect your use of the product.
The bottom line is, check things out. As you can see, there are many good free products that are reasonably safe to use. But, it's not always the case. And, it is your responsability to do your research.
What to look for in an Anti-virus program
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Automatic updates
New viruses come out very frequently, sometimes a few times a day, and they often spread fast. If you have to remember to update your software, there is a real possibility that you will forget, or wait too long, leaving you vulnerable to getting the latest virus.
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Frequent Updates
The speed at which new viruses come out means that weeks between updates are simply too risky to be acceptable. If a product generally updates less often than once a week, find something else.
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Won’t slow your system too much
A lot depends on how your system is set up and what else you are running. Also, some versions of the same maker’s software are better than others.
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Heuristic Scanning
This increases the chances of spotting a virus evedn before a definition for it comes out, as the scanner uses logic rules to determine if a program is a virus, even if the specific code does not match known viruses. Any program that does not use heuristic scanning is almost certainly seriously out-dated.
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Easy to Use
If it takes time, though or energy, it’s less likley to be used. Anti-virus software should be in use all the time, so you want to make that as likely as possible.
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