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Die Virus! Die! Compiled by Dirk Slater Senior Circuit Rider, Low Income Networking and Communications (LINC) Project Welfare Law Center Today's tech-savvy organizer knows the potential the Internet holds for doing research and getting the word out on issues and upcoming actions. However, key organizing tools like e-mail and listservs are aiding in the spread of computer-based viruses. The best thing an organizer can do is to get educated about viruses and be prepared. Can my computer be ill? There are a lot of reasons computers can act sickly. Flawed software is probably the most common reason for a computer's funny behavior. Many of the most common software applications (including Microsoft products, especially Windows) have some serious design flaws that cause them to do strange things at the most inopportune moment. However, these days computer viruses are extremely common and unless you have up-to-date anti-viral software your computer is probably infected. What is a virus? Definitely something you don't want! Computer viruses generally come in three different varieties: virus, Trojan horse and worm. A virus is a program that attaches itself to, overwrites or otherwise replaces another program in order to reproduce itself without the knowledge of the PC user. Most viruses are comparatively harmless, and may be present for years with no noticeable effect. Some, however, may cause random damage to data files or attempt to destroy files and disks. Others cause unintended damage. Even benign viruses cause damage by occupying disk space and/or main memory, using up CPU processing time and eating up resources in the effort to detect and remove them. A Trojan horse is a program intended to perform some covert and usually malicious act which the victim did not expect or want. It is similar to a virus, although Trojan horses are generally not self-propagating, like viruses or worms. A worm is a program that spreads (usually) over network connections. Unlike a virus, it does not attach itself to a host program, but exists as an independent entity. Recent worms such as Melissa and ILOVEYOU spread by sending themselves via e-mail to the victim's entire address book. Worms can spread very quickly and can cripple mail servers across the globe in less than 24 hours. Viruses, Trojan horses and worms are all often lumped together as "viruses." Anti-virus software typically offers protection against all three. What are the steps I should take to "curing" my system? Always remember to stay calm. Once detected, a virus will rarely cause damage, but a panicked response might. Bear in mind that not every one who thinks s/he has a virus actually does. Reformatting your hard disk is almost certainly unnecessary and very probably won't kill the virus. If you have a good anti-virus package, use it. If you don't have a package, get one (common packages are Symantec Norton Anti-virus and McAffee Anti-virus). Follow the guidelines below as far as is practicable and applicable to your situation. Quarantine the system. Do not attempt to continue to work with an infected system, or allow others to do so. Users of infected machines should not under any circumstances trade disks with others or send and receive e-mail until their systems and disks are cleaned. If the infected system is connected to a network, it should be logged off all remote machines. If you're not sure how to do this, contact whoever is responsible for the administration of the network. Make sure the network administrator or others responsible are fully aware of the situation. Seek Treatment. Generally, it's preferable to close down applications (Windows, etc.) properly rather than just hitting the power switch, while waiting for an IT expert to address the problem. Make sure you don't infect others. Ensure that all people in your office and anyone else at risk are aware of the situation. If you have the means of checking other office machines for infection, you should do so and take appropriate steps if an infection is found. If you are unable to check other machines, assume that all machines are infected and take all possible steps to avoid spreading the infection any further. No files should be exchanged between machines by any means until it's established that this can be done safely. Get all floppy disks together for checking and check each one. This includes write-protected floppies and program master disks. Check all backups too (on tape or file servers as well as on floppy). How can I keep my computer safe from viruses? Well, the best way would be to never turn it on. Short of that unreasonable option, here are five basic rules that will help you practice "safe-computing": Use anti-virus software. Every computer in your organization should have up-to-date virus protection software that is regularly updated with new virus definitions. Run that software routinely. We suggest choosing a time, like Friday at 3 p.m., when the entire office runs its virus program and everyone takes a break from using their computers. Update your virus definitions routinely. Your anti-virus software is only as good as the virus definitions it uses to catch them. Virus definitions are what your anti-virus software uses to identify viruses. Since new viruses are created daily, it's important to have your virus definitions up-to-date. Most anti-virus software can be configured to automatically update virus definitions when you're connected to the Internet or at least to schedule a reminder to do so manually. It is essential that you update virus definitions at least once a month on all the machines in your organization. Given the recent volume of virus and worm attacks that are being spread over the Internet, updating virus definitions once a week will ensure quick detection and removal of viruses. Remember, if the virus infects your system before you download a virus definition for it, it is likely that your anti-viral program will be unable to detect and fix your system. Be very careful of e-mail attachments. Many current viruses, including some extremely destructive ones, are spread via e-mail attachments – often from people you know (the viruses use e-mail address books to spread themselves.) You should never open an unexpected attachment. To be safe, you should save all attachments to a disk, and scan them with anti-virus software before you open them. The Welfare Law Center's LINC Project advises having cheat sheets by every computer for users with suggestions on how to open e-mail attachments free of viruses, how to quickly update your virus software, etc. Check all incoming floppy disks. Make sure that either your anti-virus software is configured to automatically scan floppies or that you manually do it before viewing their contents. Check your anti-viral programs help file or manual to check to see if it is configured properly. Perform regular backups. Backups will protect you from a variety of disasters, including viruses. A word about anti-viral programs. If you use the Internet and/or exchange floppies with others, an up-to-date anti-viral program is a must, especially if you use Microsoft products, which tend to be particularly susceptible to viruses. Norton Anti-Virus and McAffee Anti-Virus are the two most common anti-viral programs. These programs have auto-protect features, which means that the program will automatically turn-on with your system and monitor for viruses while you work. This means that it is constantly residing in your computer's memory and may significantly affect the performance of the computer. If you notice a severe decline in your system's speed you may want to check your auto-protect settings in your anti-viral program. Again, check your anti-viral programs help file or manual to check to see if it is configured properly. [This article first appeared on the Welfare Law Center's Low-Income Networking and Communications (LINC) Project Web site, located at www.lincproject.org.]
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Troubleshooting.... The Spyware Battle Rages On (March, 2006) Conducting a Technology Self Audit (November, 2005) Defending Systems and Managing Risk (December, 2003) Six Weeks to a Sleeker CBO - A Tech Planning Timeline (June, 2002) Die Virus! Die! (December, 2001) The Rebuilding Begins: NYC's Technology Assistance Providers Rally for Nonprofits (November, 2001) Plugging Back In (November, 2001) FATAL ERROR: Where Did I Go Wrong and What Can I Do Now? (April, 2001) Technology Technical Assistance: Why Use It, How to Manage It (May, 2000) If Your Computer is Looking a Little Green Around the Ears, it Might be a Virus (June, 1999) Other Articles of Interest.... The Pros and Cons of ASPs (October, 2001) A Case Management System Case Study: Providence House (January, 2001) Paving the Way to the Future: DYCD's Comprehensive Contract Management System (January, 2001) TechSoup - Free Lunch for Tech-Hungry Nonprofits (July, 2000) Planning for Success: A Practical Approach to Technology (March, 2000) |
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