Virus protection
When email viruses such as Melissa and the Love Bug spread via the internet last year they left a trail of destruction. But there’s a number of simple steps users can take to protect their data from malicious code. 

Should we be scared of viruses?
We should all be aware that strange emails can harbour destructive viruses. These viruses can get inside a PC, destroy files and steal passwords. When the Anna Kournikova worm hit the internet in February this year, tens of thousands of users were fooled into unleashing the virus. Luckily the worm didn’t cause much damage, it just served as a chilling reminder that our computers are even at the mercy of the simplest viruses. But their spread could have been curtailed if users had followed a few simple steps. According to Paul Brettle, product consultant at security analyst F-Secure, users need to develop “a healthy paranoia” about viruses. Brettle advises people to delete any message they have doubts about immediately. 

If you need to send an attachment by email, Brettle says, it’s best to phone the recipient first or tell them via email in advance. 

So what preventative measures can we take?
Most experts agree that updating your computer’s antivirus software is an effective prevention measure, and that most users don’t do this frequently enough. But it’s relatively easy to protect your data from viruses without spending any money at all. 

How do virus writers do it?
Viruses such as the Love Bug and the Anna Kournikova worm use Visual Basic Scripting to take over your PC and bulk-send emails to users in your Microsoft Outlook address book. 

Visual Basic Scripting is used in Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft Outlook to link to the web program objects embedded in documents. But according to a spokesman for Finnish data security firm F-Secure, there are almost no circumstances under which the normal user will use Visual Basic Scripting. 

Virus writers rely in part on people’s lack of PC knowledge and on Microsoft’s desire to have all system functions turned on by default. Luckily, users can easily turn off VBS in Microsoft Outlook. For full details of how to do this, see www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/ display_news.cfm?Newsid=803 

What if you get infected?
Turning off VBS might stop a virus from propagating but, if your machine does get infected, what then? 

“Do regular backups of all your system files,” says James Whittaker, associate professor of computer science at the Florida Institute of Technology. “This is even more important than updating your antivirus software.” Whittaker also advises users not to participate in sending email chain letters. This can increase your chances of receiving and spreading a virus. 

What next?
If you think that you can put your feet back and relax once you’ve followed our tips, then you’re mistaken.According to Whittaker, one of the problems with stamping out the “script kiddies” – those people who create viruses by using existing code and adding their own features – is that virus authors will be forced to become more ingenious and resourceful. 

The next big thing could be viruses written in C and C++, the languages Windows is written in. These viruses could enter your desktop directly via your internet connection and wreak havoc on your PC’s operating system. “They could wipe out your entire memory and hard disk,” says Whittaker. “There’s very little you can do to defend against a virus like that.”