You can greatly reduce your chance of computer infection by following
two simple practices:
1) Keep your antivirus software up-to-date. |
 Given
the growing number and severity of viruses and worms being transmitted
by email, it only makes sense to approach any emails bearing attachments
with caution. And since recent worms like SirCam and Goner are able to
send out copies of themselves to everybody in an infected user's address
book, even emails from people you know need to be treated cautiously. |
 Although
executable (.exe) attachments are most commonly used to propagate email
viruses, viruses can be carried in (or pose as) a wide array of files.
For instance, the recent Goner worm poses as a screen saver (.scr), while the LoveBug's attachment was a script (.vbs). Even Word (.doc) and Excel (.xls) files can contain macroviruses, so it's wise to be suspect of any email attached file. |
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To scan an attachment for viruses, you first need to save it to your hard drive. Right-clicking on an attachment will bring up a small menu. Select Save As... and save a copy of the attachment somewhere convenient like your desktop or a downloads folder or even the root of your C:\ drive. (Although the images included here are from GroupWise, Netscape and Eudora also let you save attachments in a similar fashion.) |
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Exit GroupWise and find the copy of the attachment you've save to your hard drive. To have Norton AntiVirus scan the file, simply right-click on the file and select Scan for Viruses... |
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If the file contains a recognized virus Norton AntiVirus should repair it so that you can then open the file safely. If NAV cannot repair an infected file, it will quarantine it (that is, move it to a safe location so you don't unintentionally infect your computer by accessing the file). Remember, this is just a copy of the attached file, so if it turns out the file was infected, you should go back and delete the email containing the still-infected original attachment. Of course, if Norton finds no viruses, you can go ahead and view the
attachment.
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Again, the effectiveness of this procedure depends upon keeping your antivirus software up-to-date. You can check that Norton AntiVirus is updating regularly by opening the NAV window from your system tray ...
... and checking the date of the Virus Definition File. If the definitions
are more than a few weeks old, your software may not be updating properly
and a call to our Help Desk (5-1760) might be in order.
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A Note To Mac Users: While Macintosh computers are not at the same risk of damage from email viruses as Windows-based systems, it is possible for a Mac user to become a "carrier" and pass on infected files and emails. Keep your antivirus software up-to-date. |
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Last Modified August 23, 2007 |