Reducing the threat of an email worm
While email has changed our lives in ways to numerous to mention, it has also unfortunately brought a number of new security threats as well. Chief among these threats is the ever present email worm. It seems barely a week passes without some mention of a new email worm that is making the rounds. While infected network files were once the chief source of virus infection, today it is the email worm that accounts for the majority of infected computers.
To make matters worse, these email worms are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and using a number of clever tricks to get users to open them and click the links they contain. Some of these email worms offer access to free pictures of celebrities, or promise to reveal intimate information about our favorite movie stars. Still others claim to raise funds for a good cause, or reveal the winning lottery numbers. No matter what the ruse, these spam emails are always a ruse, and many contain some nasty email worm that can steal your private information or even wreck your computer.
The importance of prevention
When it comes to dealing with an email worm, the old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure certainly applies. Preventing the email virus or email worm from taking root is far better than trying to clean up your computer after the infection has occurred. In many cases, the only way to fully recover from a computer virus is to reformat your computer, and that can mean losing years of work.
In order to prevent this unhappy outcome, the best strategy is to prevent the infection by always running a quality anti virus product on your computer. Whether you are online for hours every day or for only a couple of minutes a month, you are still at risk from an email worm, and it makes sense to protect yourself, your computer, and your valuable personal data.
Of course installing a strong anti virus program is not enough. In order for the anti virus software to be effective it must be constantly updated in order to counter the new viruses that appear every day. While at one time computer security experts recommended updating anti virus software once a week or so, most agree that this no longer provides sufficient protection from email worms and other threats.
How often should I update?
These days the best strategy is to update your anti virus software on a daily basis. Updating the software every day will ensure you do not miss out on protection from any new threats that have been identified. Furthermore, these updates are easy to schedule, and they can be set to download and install at night, while you sleep.
It is also important to schedule regular virus scans of your computer. Like the updates, these scheduled scans can take place at night, when the computer is not in use. All you need to do then is review the results of the scan and make sure there is no infection. If an email worm or other infection is found, however, be sure to visit the web site of your anti virus company for complete instructions on how to remove and eliminate the infection.
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