Protect yourself from computer viruses

Mandy Langford, news editor

There is a virus that is sweeping the nation, and it has no cure. It is the pesky computer virus that we all know as worms, trojans, or spyware.

The viruses that are taking over computers have finally been identified by enough people that precautions can be taken and something can be done if a worm does slip by.

Tim Winders, associate dean of information technology at South Plains College, has been taking time to keep the faculty and staff well informed of the viruses that are out there and what they are doing to the computers on SPC campus. Yet the information does need to be expanded to include students as well.

A worm is developed by a virus programmer who wants to do malicious things to your computer, according to Winders. Worms can spread by other means without involving e-mail at all. Most worms spread from computer to computer, meaning that it will find and attack computers that are vulnerable due to the lack of keeping your computer well updated. All worms inflict similar harm, such as disruption of your computer, loss of data, transmission of personal information found on your computer without you knowing, better known as identity theft, says Winders.

There is another type of virus called spyware. Spyware has many different forms, but generally fall under two categories. One is a program that will install itself on your computer and track your web searching activities. You will mostly associate this with the disruptive pop-up ads on your screen. The next form is very dangerous. It captures your keystroke and transmits the information to a criminal who can then access your personal information such as passwords, credit card information and Social Security number, the information needed for identity theft. Those who use this from of identity theft are also known as phishers, desperately “fishing” for recipients to respond to faulty e-mails convincing others to give their personal financial information.

“For every one to two virus programmers that is caught, thousands are getting away with it,” said Winders.

It is a very long process to catch these criminals, and, more often than not, they are getting away with it, at least for many years.

You can have a virus and not even know on any computer that is accessible to the Internet. The computers that get connection through broadband or cable connection are even more susceptible to the viruses.

The hardest part in the whim of computer viruses is prevention. It is not as hard as it once was to get rid of the virus, says Winders, though it still can have its consequences, such as losing saved and downloaded information and software.

“Make sure that your antivirus software is always up to date and is downloading new virus definitions regularly,” stated Winders. “ This is really your only method of prevention.”
There are a few free antivirus programs that can be downloaded though people do still tend to purchase the software. Ad-aware, Spybot Search and Destroy are both free for home users. They can be installed by going to http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html or http://www.lavasoft.de/support/download.

Among the other precautions can be taken include changing your general behavior. Don’t blindly click on links or the pop-up ads that you see. They will ask you to download software and even look and sound legitimate, though it really it is a virus. Also, make yourself knowledgeable by doing general research so not to be a victim your self. Winders suggests the web site http://www.staysafeonline.info.

Winders suggests that students stay updated with your computer. If you do your banking online or purchase things online, be aware of and check the accuracy of the company. If you do have business with a company such as Wells Fargo, eBay, or other companies, do not respond to the pop-ups.

A vaccination for the virus will remain in the making.