Antivirus 101

If you're reading this - you need antivirus software. Anyone using the internet needs the protection of antivirus software.

Don't be confused by technical talk about antivirus products. The following questions and answers provide basic information you need to know about antivirus software.

Why should you care?
Virus writers unleash an estimated 300 new viruses and variants on the internet every month. Because almost two-thirds of computers have outdated - or no - antivirus software, viruses have ample breeding ground.

How do viruses spread?
Viruses use the computers they've infected to replicate and spread. Many viruses harvest email addresses from infected computers and email themselves to your family, friends and business contacts.

The number-one method of contracting a virus is through an infected email attachment. You can also catch viruses by downloading infected files from the internet or file-sharing environments.

• Never open an email attachment or download a file unless you are certain it is safe.
• Scan attachments and downloads with your antivirus software.

What does antivirus software do?
Antivirus software scans your computer for known viruses. Antivirus software also looks for code that is similar to known viruses. This lets the antivirus software identify modified viruses plus new potential threats.

Good antivirus software looks for viruses everywhere:

• All your computer's drives, archives and databases
• Incoming email and instant message attachments
• Files as you open or download them

Installing antivirus software will protect you, right?
Yes and no. Don't assume that just having antivirus software will protect you. Antivirus software MUST be up-to-date to defend against the constant surge of new threats.

Many antivirus providers offer virus definition updates only weekly. Weekly antivirus updates are not frequent enough. Look for a provider that updates virus definitions daily.

Consider setting your antivirus software to receive updates automatically. Don't rely on remembering to update manually. Antivirus updates are too important to trust to memory. Many antivirus providers will notify you when updates are available and prompt you to install them. Do NOT ignore these prompts. If you're not scanning with the latest virus definitions, your antivirus software isn't protecting you from the newest threats.