CITO PC Security
Anti-Virus
- What is an Anti-Virus?
- What is a computer virus?
- How can I get a virus?
- How can I protect myself?
Anti-Virus software is a type of software that protects your PC from viruses. A computer virus is a small piece of software that has the ability to self replicate. This software is unwelcome as the damage caused is often irreversible.
Wherever electronic information exists there is a possibility that a virus can be found lurking. The most common means of infection include:-
- the downloading/installation of pirated software, games and music
- the opening of emails from strangers
- the opening of unexpected attachments from known senders (e.g. friends, colleagues) without asking them if the attachment is safe
- the browsing of questionable websites
The first means of protection against a computer virus is to not get infected! Avoid undertaking the actions listed above. The use of up to date Anti-Virus software with up to date virus definitions is a must.
Virus definitions simply comprise a list that contains information regarding known viruses. If your definitions are out of date, then the list you have of existing viruses will be old. This means that your Anti-Virus product will NOT be able to detect new viruses.
More detailed information on computer viruses can be found by following the link below.