Complacency
can lead to disaster. When there are no headlines in the
paper or no news items on television about a new or old
computer virus, it does not mean they have gone away.
They are out there and can strike at anytime. You
must have a virus scanner that is operating, especially
when on the Internet and receiving e-mails. The scanner
must also be kept up to date.
Despite
having a scanner up to date a virus strike can still happen.
New virus' and variants are being written and let
loose continually, and some of these get through before
your scanner has been updated. The virus must be detected
before a 'fix' can be developed. Therefore, be on the
look out for the signs.
This
does not mean the whole program must be replaced, but
just those files that are used to recognize the viruses,
just like a reference library. Every day new variations
of viruses are discovered, and some producers of virus
scanners update the "reference" files daily
for downloading and updating your scanner. An update should
be carried-out at least once a week. This as a rule will
protect you from all known viruses, but there are new
ones that can still sneak through.
One of the worst case scenario of a virus attack is where
all your (personal) files are lost and with the computer
having to be cleared and reloaded with all of your software.
If you haven't backed up recently then you may lose all
your e-mails and e-mail addresses of friends and contacts.
Another worse case scenario is damage to your hardware,
where as well as data loss you also have to replace your
hard disk drive, modem, and graphics card. Some
may differ on that opinion, but I have seen the consequences
and repaired the damage.
Scanners can be found on the Internet, to give you some
peace of mind, and vary in price from some being free
(usually limited versions for personal use), to as much
as to $100 per year.
