News Item: Admin reminder: please install virus protection
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Although this can be a complicated subject, I'll make it simple: if your computer is not protected, viruses can hijack your computer and forge messages that appear to come from you and people in your contact list, including the mission website. More severe viruses can cripple your computer, damage network service, and attack other webservers. Some can log your keystrokes and are a threat to your privacy.
I know that some few of you have unprotected computers because I receive bounced e-mail that is spoofed with the FPM alumni site admin address as the sender. These aren't really coming from the FPM's site computers because those computers are protected.
This is a simple thing to fix:
(1) Be sure that you have installed a working version of your virus protection software.
(2) Be sure that you have the latest version of the virus identification files for your software.
(3) Be sure that your anti-virus software is running and that it is scanning all incoming and outgoing internet traffic on your computer.
Symantec, McAfee, Trend, and many others provide good products to combat against viruses. Other suggested products include Bullguard which has a free trial and combines AV/Firewall/Backup (suggested by Erin Johanson) and Grisoft's AVG free version [http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_index.php] which is free for personal use (suggested by David Parker and Gene Broman). David Parker also mentioned this list of AVS products: http://www.dslreports.com/faq/7728
I have helped users who think that they are running anti-virus software, but they haven't got it turned on, they haven't upgraded it lately, or they don't have the latest virus protection files.
In the worst of these cases, the computer was completely infected with software that created prurient e-mails and links and required six cleaning passes and two hours to completely rid of its infections.
I also recommend you also invest in protection against spyware. If you find yourself beset with a lot of pop-up windows - even when you're not using the internet directly - then chances are good that your machine has spyware installed on it.
AdAware and SpyBot: Search and Destroy are two very good anti-spyware programs.
I recommend against installing toolbars of any kind, though especially supposed popup blocking toolbars, as well as any number of add-on programs from non-trusted sources that usually contain spyware or malware, including weather popups, animated figures, screen savers, animated cursors, emoticon generators, filesharing software, etc. This list is not comprehensive, but it gives a sense of the depth of the problem.
David Parker recommends the following comprehensive FAQ about securing your computer:
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/8463
Your help in keeping your computer clean helps protect your family and friends' computers and those of your fellow France Paris Mission alumni. Thanks for your help!
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