Prevention key to staving off computer virus threat

Personal computer viruses they're back!

OK, actually they never left. For the most part, viruses are mischievous, easily disposed of programs that PC users must deal with every day.

But becoming all-too-common are viruses that are garnering national attention for their maliciousness. These destroy a user's data while spreading throughout the Internet courtesy of the names inside your e-mail directory.

Virus-protection software is the first line of defense and economically a very good investment for your network. But no virus protection software can provide 100 percent protection and is dependent on frequent updating.

Often, a company takes the right step by installing virus protection software on its fileserver and workstations. As time goes by, the software is not updated, yet new viruses are being introduced. The software can only scan for the types of viruses in its database. The user gets a clean bill of health from the software when actually the system is infected with the latest end-all virus.

When virus software is upgraded, new virus definitions are added to your software's database. Oddly enough, the new definitions that are being loaded onto your computer are actually virus algorithms. The scan that takes place is looking to match a possible virus against virus traits within its database.

It is important to stress once again that in no way can virus protection software keep your network 100 percent protected. Viruses are nothing more than software programs or routines written by people with too much time on their hands. Unfortunately, they have spent a lot of time sharpening their software skills and have become extremely innovative in figuring out ways to get these virus programs past you.

One bright spot is that virus protection software has become more advanced, so if the software does detect an anomaly, it will post an alert even if it is unsure of the virus' identity. The virus protection software gives you an alert and the virus can be removed or quarantined.

Special attention needs to be made for company's that have a PC network. If your home PC gets a virus, just one PC is infected. But on a PC network, one infected PC can infect the file server and every workstation on the network. Thousands of dollars are lost every day in lost productivity due to virus crashes

I can tell you a week does not go by where we don't get a call from a company experiencing virus problems. At least twice a month we will help a company whose network has been crippled by a virus. There are ways to greatly reduce your chances of being a victim to computer viruses:

Use virus protection software;

Keep virus protection software up to date;

Scan all floppy disks before using them;

Back up data daily, alternating a different tape for each day;

Enable the macro virus protection in Microsoft Office;

Choose to disable any macro from an unknown e-mail;

Educate users about viruses; and

Set up a virus protection policy.

Let's go into some detail about setting up a virus protection policy for your company. Let your workers know what they need to do to reduce the company's exposure to viruses. For starters, I would discuss receiving e-mails, which is the No. 1 way viruses are spread. When they receive junk mail, they should delete it.

Instant messaging has become pretty popular. Most businesses discourage this practice to keep employees from becoming distracted and spending time communicating with friends during work hours. But for those that use them, viruses can be spread via messaging-type software.

Your virus protection policy should discuss what materials are appropriate for download and from what sites. Where the files are stored can also be an issue. Even with third-party software, it is not uncommon to have a policy in place on what software can be loaded onto a workstation and by whom.

The virus protection policy should also explain procedures when detecting a virus.

There are safeguards available to reduce a company's exposure to viruses. Depending on what level of protection a company needs, there are hardware and software components such as firewalls and intrusion detection devices. These products provide a gateway to your network that restricts what can and cannot pass through from the Internet.

Content filtering may be a buzzword that you have heard. With content filtering, we are dictating to the network users what sites can be browsed and from what sources e-mail may be accepted. All of these items vary in their level of performance, and prices range accordingly. It is important to have a professional analyze your network so a proper recommendation can be made. This requires a skilled engineer and I would highly recommend that a general PC practitioner not be used for this specific task.

If a PC virus has never infected your computer network, consider yourself very lucky. Whether you are one of the lucky ones or not, today is the day to review how your company is protected and what potential risks there are. As the old adage goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

(Doug Pitt is owner of ServiceWorld Computer Center Inc.)