Avoiding Computer Viruses

How to avoid most computer viruses.

Every day we hear about new viruses and e-mail hoaxes. Internet users wish that the originators of these fraudulent schemes would put their time to better use and stop creating these annoying and potentially harmful viruses.

Protect yourself against viruses:

• Always carefully consider the source of an e-mail. For instance, any e-mail coming from “administration@nu.edu” is fraudulent because no such address exists. Pay particular attention when opening an e-mail attachment. National University will not send you messages from generic e-mail addresses such as “support”, “IT”, or “Team.”
• The practice of sending phony e-mail messages that look like they come from legitimate companies is known as “phishing.” The Citibank hoax, in which customers unknowingly sent their banking information to a counterfeit company, continues and is spawning copy cats. No lawful financial institution will send you unsolicited e-mail asking for this information.
• Despite advanced technological developments, your ISP is not able to stop all viruses and hoaxes from arriving to your e-mail. Therefore, you must be savvy and verify each one before opening.
• E-mail hoaxes play on your curiosity, sense of responsibility, and even your greed. When in doubt, delete them!

Basic precautions start with you:

• Make sure a current version of anti-virus software is installed on your computer. This precaution prevents most infections from occurring. Update it regularly, particularly when you hear about the threat of a virus or worm. If your anti-virus software reports a virus – pay attention! It is doing its job when it deletes or quarantines a virus.
• Do not open attachments from people or organizations you do not know.
• If you do know the sender but the attachment has an unusual extension, confirm the attachment with the sender prior to opening it.
• If the attachment has a familiar extension (such as .doc, .zip, or .exe) but there’s something odd about the e-mail, check its validity. DO NOT open it to see what happens.
• Contact Information Technology Services (help@nu.edu) if you need further assistance.

Remember, staying safe from computer viruses is everyone’s job!