One of the dangers of downloading files or programs is the risk that they might be infected with a computer virus or a Trojan horse. Viruses are often programmed to damage the data on your computer by corrupting programs, deleting files or even erasing your entire hard disk. A Trojan horse is a malicious program that is disguised as legitimate software, which may look useful or interesting (or at the very least harmless), but is actually harmful when executed.
Viruses and Trojan horses spread when an infected application is launched and so it is essential that you have adequate virus protection before you start to download or open any files. Follow these simple rules to avoid being caught out by infected files:
1. Choose a Good Anti-Virus Program.
There are a wide variety of anti-virus products available on the market, many of which can be found in our featured sites. A useful and free (for personal use) anti-virus program is AVG Free Edition available from Grisoft. This is a great program for those users who do not feel that they can afford to buy antivirus software; however, users should be aware that many of the features offered are very limited, for example, the program only offers one scheduled update and one scheduled scan per day.
2. Update Your Anti-Virus Software Regularly
Anti-virus programs can only protect you from the viruses that they know about. Since new viruses surface every day, it's essential that you update your anti-virus program regularly - at least once a week. Some programs (such as Norton AntiVirus or McAfee VirusScan), can be configured to check for updates automatically, whilst others need to be manually updated by connecting to the product update site.
3. Make Sure You Use It
Use your anti-virus program to scan and check any new files that you download - BEFORE you attempt to open them.
4. Be Cautious
Whilst the majority of anti-virus programs detect malicious code very reliably, it is essential to remember that no program is perfect, nor can they be expected to detect every virus. Use anti-virus software in combination with common sense; never open a file that does not come from a trusted source or whose extension does not match its application. For example, if you download a photograph and notice that it is called photo.exe (instead of the expected photo.jpg) delete it immediately. Read on for more safety tips ...
