What exactly are computer viruses? 

Similar to their biological brothers, computer viruses are designed to propagate, travelling from computer to computer to perform some mischief. That mischief may be as innocent as displaying a message that reads, "This Computer is Stoned," or as fatal as wiping out every file on a hard drive.

1. A virus consists of at least two parts: the replication code, which spreads the virus, and the payload, which is the prank or destructive part. Whoever wrote the virus inserts the virus code into an otherwise harmless program. The program -- with the virus -- is distributed through the Internet, on a pen drive, or even on commercial CD-ROMs.

2. Once you open the host program, the parent virus is activated and replicates even further. The virus spreads copies of itself to other drives on your computer and to other computers on the same network. Each of these child viruses becomes a parent virus and replicates even further.

3. A virus may remain dormant for months so it can spread without suspicion. It waits for a trigger, often a specific date to launch itself. If an infected computer boots or an infected program is launched under trigger conditions, the rest of the virus activates to deliver the payload. Typically the virus will destroy the boot record or files on your drive that have certain extensions.

4. Other viruses called worms replicate and spread with great speed. One such worm is an e-mail macro virus, such as Melissa or the Love Bug, which is distributed as an attachment to an innocent-looking message. Merely opening the message to read it activates the macro. A typical macro virus accesses your mail program's address book and sends copies of the infected message to everyone in the book. This begins a chain reaction, with each recipient perpetuating the virus. This in itself can be the macro virus's payload: jamming mail systems with so many messages that the systems are too packed to carry legitimate mail. Other macro viruses destroy files and boot records as well.

What is a Trojan Horse?

This is another danger to your computer. At first glance it will appear to be useful software but will actually do damage once installed or run on your computer.

Those on the receiving end of a Trojan Horse are usually tricked into opening them because they appear to be receiving legitimate software or files from a legitimate source.

When a Trojan is activated on your computer, the results can vary. Some Trojans are designed to be more annoying than malicious (like changing your desktop, adding silly active desktop icons) or they can cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your system.

Trojans are also known to create a backdoor on your computer that gives malicious users access to your system, possibly allowing confidential or personal information to be compromised. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they self-replicate.

How Can I Protect My Computer?

You need 4 points of protection -

1. Anti-Virus Program:
You need an anti-virus program that you can set up to contact you frequently, online, to update your virus signature files (daily is good). This is not a "virus scan" - if you follow these instructions, you won't have to scan more than once a month or so. (If you don't follow these instructions, a scan will only find virus signatures that are already in your computer).

When you install the program, you will be guided through setting up a schedule of updates. Set this up to contact the website of the company daily or every time you go online. This way, whenever you go online, you will be getting any new signatures and you will be protected. If you already have an anti-virus program installed on your computer, go to your "Start" button, hover over "Programs," slide your mouse pointer over and click your anti-virus programme. Once the program window opens, look for a command or button that says "Schedule" or "Options" and set it up to update daily.

You should only have one antivirus program on your computer. If your computer came with one and your Internet Service Provider gives you a different one, they will conflict with each other. Check with Tech Support to find out how to uninstall one.

2. Firewall:
A firewall makes your computer "invisible" to attack from the outside.
Since a broadband connection (cable or DSL), is always connected to the internet whenever the computer is on, you must have this, in addition to an antivirus program. .

Everyone needs a firewall!

Windows XP has a firewall as part of it. To make sure it's turned on, go to Start | Control Panel

Now look for the "Windows Firewall" icon:

Double-click it. Be sure there's a dot next to "On (recommended)." If not, put a dot there and click OK

Again, you can only have one firewall. If one is provided by your Provider, go into the Windows Firewall and turn it off.

A firewall can protect you from Worms and Trojan Horses.

3. Next - Automatic Updates: 

Microsoft send out free updates about once a month. You should set your computer to download these automatically. Look for the Automatic Update icon in the Control Panel:

Double-click it. The Windows XP "automatic update" setting should be turned on. The "default" setting is "Every day at 3:00AM (change this to a time when your computer will be on). Click "Apply" and OK.

Never accept an email that says you can download the patch right from the email (this is a virus that pretends to be from Microsoft). Microsoft will ALWAYS give you a link in their email that goes to the official Microsoft web site where there will be another link to the download site.

4. Anti-spyware

What is Spyware?
A program sent to your computer by an unscrupulous company that sends personal information about you and/or your computer usage back to the company.

In addition, you might want to download Ad-Aware. You can have more than one of these programs and since they all check in different ways, one might find something that another doesn't.

You need all four to be protected!

What is Spam?

This is junk email. Just like the junk snail mail that clutters up your regular mail box, this will clutter up your email box. It is unsolicited commercial email, sent by a company that has no existing business relationship with you to get you to buy something. In other words, mass mailings you didn't ask for and don't want.

NEVER reply to a spammer or attempt to use a link that they claim will remove you from their list. This just proves to them that there's a real person at this address and you'll get more spam!

Are There Any Weapons against Spam?

There are some commercial products that claim to sort and rid your computer of spam.
You can use a free email account (Yahoo!, Hotmail, etc.) whenever you subscribe to an online newsletter or discussion group - it's a disposable address that you can do away with if it attracts too much spam.
Some ISP's will do some of the sorting for you.

To be honest - the spammers mutate and it's almost impossible to create enough rules to make much of a difference. There isn't much you can do except delete them before opening.

What is Malware?

Any program installed on your computer that does bad things. Some will send personal information (passwords, et.c) back to the originator; some install viruses, trojan horse programs, etc.; some change your homepage to theirs. There are many of these!

PETITIONS, CHAIN LETTERS, MISSING CHILDREN, E-MAIL TRACKING, ETC.

You will get many, many of these emails.

All email petitions are junk and will not solve the problem, even if it's for a worthy cause.

Email chain letters are just like "snail mail" ones - and, no, you won't have good or bad luck, no matter what you do with these.

All of the missing children are either hoaxes or the child was found 2 hours after the email was sent (3 years ago).

And it is IMPOSSIBLE to track your email -- you won't get free things from any company and no video clip will show up on your computer.

Your best action is to hit the Delete key!