Computer Viruses are running rampant across the entire internet.  This page will serve as an alert area and an information source for virus that may effect our users. And remember, just as in life, the best defense is common sense.

The Best Defense

To help defend yourself against these malicious programs follow these steps:

1. Do NOT open e-mail attachments from people you do not know. Delete the e-mail.
2. Do NOT open e-mail attachments from people you do know if you weren't expecting them to send you an attachment.  E-mail this person and ask them if they e-mailed an attachment to you to find out if it is safe or not. If you cant verify if it is safe, delete the e-mail.
3. All e-mail attachments should be considered potentially dangerous.  It is a good idea to scan your e-mail with an Anti-Virus program.  Some viruses will send out mail that looks like it came from a friend and they wont even know it was sent.  These viruses trick users into thinking that the file is safe.
4. There are also programs setup to trick you into believing they are a legitimate program (such as anti-virus or other security software), these are normally always fake and are known as "malware". These programs will use web pages, pop-ups and other means into making you think your computer is infected or there's a problem with your system. This is never the case.
   
   To combat this, become familiar with what your actual anti-virus program looks like and how it behaves. Learn what its alerts look like and how to interact with it to not be fooled. A good rule of thumb is if your are not sure do NOT click. Call for help or ask a trusted friend.
5. Do NOT install File and Printer Sharing unless you absolutely have to.  And if you do have it installed, make sure it is protected via a password.

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Anti-Virus Programs

Installing a good Anti-Virus program is the only way to verify an infection. Your Airstream-powered Internet Service Provider may already offer such a program for your convenience. For more information regarding security software and anti-virus solutions, please visit your ISP's homepage. For a listing of homepages, click here.

For more information on securing your computer further, please visit one of the links below.

OS Security Websites:

• Microsoft
• Apple

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Keep Up-To-Date

All virus programs will contain a way to keep them up-to-date.  This is VERY important, because these programs will only know of viruses previous to the last update.  Which means they can not protect you against the newest viruses.

Check your product for information on how to update it.  This information can normally be found in the Help menu or the ReadMe file.

It is a good idea to update your virus definitions once a month at least.

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Hoaxes

If you receive an e-mail from someone warning you a new virus or promotional gimmick, 99.9% of the time they will be a hoax.  Hoax virus warnings are created by people with too much time on their hands and are meant to confuse and scare users.  Once sent out via e-mail, users who don't know if these are real or not will continue to pass them along.  An updated list of current hoaxes can be found Here.

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Learn More

Home Network Security

How Viruses Work

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