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Viruses

Computer Viruses are self-replicating computer program written to alter the way a computer operates, without the permission or knowledge of the user. This page contains some useful information in relation compyer viruses.

What is a Virus?

A virus is a manmade program or piece of code that is downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs without your permission.
When a virus is put on your computer, it mayshow itself by changing your settings, sending unintented emails or deleting/corrupting files and programmes.
The most common types of viral invaders are Viruses, Worms and Trojans…

Viruses

A Virus is a program or piece of code written by a programmer which is designed to cause intentional and damaging processes to occur on the infected machine. They are commonly disguised as free games, programs, pornography or images. Often they are described with misleading and clever titles designed to get a victim to download, click on or run them.

Worms

Worms are a form of computer virus that installs itself into the active memory of an infected machine then replicates itself. Usually it will also attempt to spread to other machines via email, chat programs or other network programs.

Trojans

A Trojan horse is a harmful program that disguises itself as a beneficial or neutral program. The Trojan purposefully does functions the victim does not expect such as shutting down the machine or running another program. Trojans do not attempt to replicate and hence are not classed as viruses.

How does my computer get Viruses?

The most common method of infecting your machine with a virus is through email; however viruses can be stored in files, embedded in websites and may even be passed through computer ports via the Internet. We run an antivirus client on our mail server to ensure all your incoming and outgoing email is scanned, however we recommend you run an antivirus program on your machine to protect yourself from files and websites. Microsoft also recommends you run Windows Update to protect your machine due to security vulnerabilities which can be taken advantage of by virus creators.

What damage can theydo?

Viruses can affect your computer in various ways, ranging from annoying to destructive. Annoying viruses usually are just pranks with a ‘personality trait’ such as causing your computer to make seemingly random beeps. A more destructive virus could reformat your hard drive, overwrite your boot sector, or delete important files or programs and render your machine inoperable.
A simple virus can duplicate itself over and over again and can use all available memory and bring the system to a halt. A more complex and dangerous virus is one capable of transmitting itself across networks, spreading rapidly. As a result, this type of virus can and has infected thousands.

How do I recognise Viruses?

There are some signs that you can look out for…
-Files on your computer going missing
-Your internet connection becoming very slow
-Odd behaviour like your computer connecting to the internet by itself
-Opening files that appear to be full of meaningless numbers
-Your computer repeatedly crashing and restarting
Unfortunately, it’s often quite difficult to detect a virus on your own. Some viruses have a kind of timer in them and can just sit quietly on your computer for a while before they do damage. Others can operate without you noticing anything unusual which is why it is important for you to invest in good virus protection.

How do I protect against Viruses?

WxC provides a virus filtering service free of charge which allows the system to eliminate the viruses that come via email. WxC update this service regularly, so new viruses are also stopped as time goes by. Note: this only works on viruses passed by email.
In addition, you should investigate getting a protection programme on your computer. This will both protect your computer from website and email viruses. Iin most cases virus protection software will remove any viruses that do slip through. Most new computers come with a virus protection programme, and it updates for new viruses when you are online.

How to avoid Viruses travelling through email…

Viruses can use emails to spread, targeting Microsoft Outlook or Outlook express. If you are running this software make sure you keep your Operating System and applications up to date with the latest security patches when they become available. It is a good idea to set your PC to automatically conduct regular checks for Microsoft updates, check out our helpful software page for information on how to do this.
-Be careful when you send and receive email attachments. Never open an attachment from someone you don’t know or if the email looks suspicious.
- Be aware of the file extension at the end of the file. A file name is followed by a dot and three letters referred to as an extension. The extension is used to help the computer understand which kind of program is used to open/access the file. A few examples, .mpg is opened by a media/movie player, jpg is opened by a picture viewer, .zip is opened by a unzip program. Never open files with double file extensions such as name.bmp.exe or name.txt.vbs. Be wary of file extensions vbs, exe, shs or pif, zip or com. Harmless file extensions are txt or jpg.

You can configure Windows to always show file extensions through Windows Explorer via the tools menu: choose options > view and then uncheck ´Hide file extensions for known file types.´
- If you receive a strange email from a friend, if it is in a strange language or say odd things, double check with your friend prior to opening any attachments.
- Do not open attachments or follow web links from email advertisements or unsolicited emails. Not only are you putting your PC at risk, you are encouraging Spam.

Other tips to avoiding viruses are…

- Do not download files from public newsgroups. These are often used by virus writers to spread their new viruses.
- Disconnect your network or modem cable when you are not using the computer, or just power down.
- Never accept attachments from strangers in online chat rooms.

Where can I get anti-virus software?

Check out our software information page. It has a variety of informative websites where you can access anti-virus software.

What do I do if my computer has been infected with a Virus?

You will need to run software to remove the viruses.

WorldxChange Policy on Virus Protection

WorldxChange provides free industrial strength anti-virus system, which provides you with the best available protection from email viruses we are constantly updating this making sure we catch new viruses. Any emails containing viruses are blocked. We cannot provide you with protection from searching the World Wide Web.