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STAYING HEALTHY IN CYBERSPACE
Back in May, a computer virus dubbed the "Love Bug" spread like wildfire to Internet users around the world, shutting down e-mail systems and causing an estimated $6.7 billion in damages as of this writing.

While the motivation to create and propagate destructive computer programs may be up for question, there is no doubt that viruses will continue to be a problem for Internet users for the foreseeable future.

What can you do to keep your computer system and data healthy in the wilds of the Internet? Here are a few suggestions:

Use virus protection software. Your first line of defense against viruses is antivirus software. A good antivirus package should scan e-mail, attachments, Internet downloads, script files used on Web pages and files loaded onto your system by disk or network connection. Complete antivirus packages are available from companies such as Symantec Corp., which makes the popular Norton Antivirus application, and McAfee Corp.

An antivirus package, though, is effective only if it is kept up to date. Virus protection software uses small data files called "definitions" to identify and eliminate suspect files. Each virus requires a unique definition, which means that if you do not have the latest definitions, your system is vulnerable. Updates of virus definitions generally can be downloaded from the Internet and installed using the antivirus software application, but it is up to you to check regularly for new updates.

Double-check your Internet browser security settings. Web browsers from Microsoft and Netscape are configured with default security settings. These settings control functions such as running script files from Web sites, connecting to secure servers, controlling how cookies (small files placed on your hard disk by Web sites to store data) are handled and monitoring file downloads. The default security settings should suffice for most users.

If you are particularly concerned about security, the default settings can be customized. Keep in mind, though, that changes in these settings may disable some browser functionality. For instance, if you decide to set your browser not to accept cookies, you will be unable to access Web pages configured to display custom information such as stock portfolio prices or Web-based e-mail.

Be careful with e-mail. E-mail is probably the most common vehicle malicious programmers use to distribute viruses. E-mail viruses often contain a file attachment that, when opened, not only forwards itself to everyone in your address book but also can damage your system.

Be wary of e-mail messages from unknown sources. Most of these messages are harmless "spam"—unsolicited bulk commercial messages—but some potentially could contain viruses. The safest route is to delete these messages without opening them, although forwarding spam to your Internet service provider can help the ISP track down and take action against nuisance mailers.

Recent viruses can often be forwarded to you, unknowingly, by friends and colleagues. In this case, the only clue that a message could contain a virus may be the subject line of the message. Subject lines that reference file names with extensions such as ".exe" and ".vbs" should be treated with a healthy dose of caution.

For more information about viruses and the measures you can take to protect your system and data, visit Symantec’s Antivirus Research Center at "www.symantec.com/avcenter".

Joe Hoyle, electronic media editor, ADA Publishing, a division of ADA Business Enterprises, Inc., "hoylej{at}ada.org".

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