Tips to protect against Internet viruses

Advertiser Staff

• Use an antivirus program and update it at least once a week.

• Frequently check the Web site for your operating system maker — such as Microsoft — for free security updates.

• Don't let your guard down just because an e-mail came from someone you know.

• If in doubt about whether the attachment is a virus, don't open it. Instead, e-mail or call the sender to see if they sent it to you on purpose.

• Look at the text of the message. If it's not in English, or uses broken English and/or bad capitalization, it may be a virus.

• The attachment is frequently the dangerous part. Look at it closely, especially the part that comes after a period. If it ends in: .pif, .lnk, .com, or .exe, then it may be a virus.

• Although you might trust file names that end in .doc, the extender for Microsoft Word documents, the attached file may read "document.doc.lnk." This is not a Word document, it is most likely a virus.

• When choosing a computer password, don't use "password," your name or birth date, or any word found in a dictionary. Pick something that means something only to you. Misspelled words can work.

Sources: Symantec Corp., Trend Micro.