The Inevitable Virus Encounter

Well, for the first time in the over 7 years of using a Mac, I experienced an encounter with a virus. Understand that it is estimated that there is only 200-300 Macintosh viruses compared to 1500+ Windows viruses. Luckily, I had anti-virus software installed, which prevented the Autostart virus from infecting my machine. In the Mac world presently, the Autostart virus has become a royal pain.

So I thought this week, I would take the time to remind you about viruses. Like some I never have encountered a virus.I always believed that one of the reasons was because I am cautious about who I get files from. Downloading and interchanging files with others is a primary way people get a virus. However, no matter how careful you are there is still a chance of being infected by a source you may consider reliable. This is what happened to me, I received a CD from an ISP and thinking it was a reliable source stuck it in my CD and poof! WARNING! WARNING! This CD is infected with the Autostart Virus. Also, just recently a large software publisher had to recall some CDs for an Autostart Virus infection. So you see even if it is considered a reliable source, things happen.

Some general tips on avoiding virus infections:

1. Use a well-known, reputable anti-virus software (yes, you will probably have to pay some $$ for software). Most a-v software companies have monthly update services, so update regularly.

2. Most good a-v software will allow you to set scanning for viruses on a schedule. Plus it should allow for start up of the a-v program when you boot up your computer. This way your system is checked each time your computer executes a program.

3. BEFORE you run or open any new program or file make sure you have scanned it. You should be able to set this to automatically happen as mentioned above. This is what prevented me from being infected.

4. Be careful about downloading files from the Internet, chat sessions, or attachments to e-mail. I have all my files downloaded and checked automatically before I open them.

Okay besides using a-v software, some other good pointers:

Rule #1 is: MAKE BACKUPS!!! It is also a good idea to keep more than one backup. This not only protects you in case of virus infection, but if your hardware dies you are also covered.

2. Keep all diskettes write-protected unless you need to write to them. A virus cannot write to protected disk.

3. When downloading from public domain, freeware, or shareware sites, check to see what precautions the system administrator has taken against viruses. If they don't screen for viruses, maybe you should find another source.

Well that should be enough for you to think twice about spending some money on anti-virus software or least updating your present software. Next week Tips will discuss some symptoms of viruses and actions to take if you think you are infected.

Symptoms and indications of infection

Besides the obvious alert from your anti-virus software, there are a variety of symptoms that virus developers write into their programs, such as messages, a musical ditty, or a graphical picture. (These people obviously have too much time on their hands when they give you a nice picture to look at or tune to listen to while your hard drive is being eaten away.)

Anyway back to the subject at hand, most of the time the messages, etc. are the result of the virus already doing their dirty work whether that be deleting files or other mischief. Primarily main indicators of a viral infection are changes to file sizes or contents, unaccounted use of RAM (memory), excessive hard disk activity (this is a prime indication of the Mac Autostart Virus), missing files (real missing files not just ones you forgot where you saved them at), error messages, and/or strange behavior of any other hardware. But remember that if your computer is acting strangely, don't panic and think you have a virus.

Okay, so now let's talk about what you should do if you think you have a virus. First shutdown and restart with a start-up disk (one from the manufacturer that has write protect on is the best), then run your anti-virus software. You want to start up from a clean system disk because some viruses can hide in memory from the virus scanning if you startup from the infected disk. In most cases running your anti-virus software will clean the system (remember to use software that has the most current update).

If there is any doubt that the software did not wipe out the virus, remove the suspected infected files and restore them from a clean backup. Most of the time it is better to determine what is infected and destroy them by replacing them with clean backups. But, if your infected files contain valuable data (that hasn't been backed up) or cannot be compiled again from the original source, disinfecting them is the next best thing.

Lastly, if you don't feel comfortable trying to resolve a virus infection call someone that can help. It maybe worth the dollars to have a technician look at your computer - not only for peace of mind, but to save your data if your are infected.