7 Tips for a Healthy Computer
By Ann Jordan-Mills

Last weekend, I had a scary experience — I thought I’d caught a virus. This was unusual for me, because I do all that I can to avoid this kind of thing:

• I take vitamins and minerals so that my health remains optimal
• I eat nutritionally — to keep my body working as best it can
• I exercise … well, I try!

For the most part, though, I’m healthy and energetic, I have lots of stamina, and I rarely get sick, much less catch viruses.

But in this case, it’s not my personal health that I am talking about; it’s the health of my computers. I have a networked desktop and laptop and, like siblings, they can also share viruses if I’m not careful.

In the same way that I take care of my physical health, I am close to obsessive about computer health. I have good firewall and security programs, I regularly run anti-virus and anti-malware programs, I make sure to shut down when I am away from my desk … I do all the things that I know I should to keep my computers healthy. At least, I thought I did!

But last weekend, I slipped up … I opened an email from a colleague.

Not usually an issue, right?

Opening the email wasn’t the mistake … but opening the email without a subject line was!

I don’t know about you, but I receive more emails than I have time to deal with. Other than my regularly-read emails (business-related, family and friends, etc.) my inbox is also host to several others that I read on a by-choice basis. I generally skim through them quickly, and usually open them according to compelling headlines. (To know more about great headlines, go to Google and search: awaionline headlines — no quotation marks — to find tons of articles about headlines by such greats as Eugene Schwartz, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Michael Masterson, and Bob Bly, etc.)

My ailing email

I had met the sender of the offending email at the last AWAI Bootcamp; we had exchanged contact information and share intermittent email exchanges.

I recognized his name, so I opened his email. Too late, I realized that it had a blank subject line … and there was my mistake!

The content was not the kind of material that I would expect from my colleague, nor was it the kind of content I would ever knowingly open and read.

Though I recognized immediately that something was amiss, the email was open. Perhaps the damage was already done.

With a sickening feeling in my stomach, I clicked it closed, deleted it, and immediately put the sender into my blocked address list — temporarily, I hoped.

A bit later, I received another email from my colleague with the instructions (clearly too late): “‘Don’t open!’ But, if you have already done so, immediately run anti-virus and anti-spyware programs.”

Fortunately, I have a couple of very good programs (one of which had just last week been recommended to me by my local tech support.)

And so began the tedious work of running these programs on all the drives of my computers, and keeping an eye on the process to make sure that all my files and data were scanned and cleansed.

After all that, I sent emails to everyone in my contact list, and included the new instructions.

What a panic! Take time to breathe! Keep calm!

This is what had happened … a malicious email had apparently hacked into my colleague’s address book and sent out a URL link, with the unacceptable subject matter, to each one of his contacts. It was programmed to go through the address book of each recipient, and send out the same email to all addresses — and on and on — thus multiplying and transmitting itself ceaselessly.

And the senders didn’t know a thing about it!

It was a sudden and timely reminder for me … and it can happen to anyone! Even you!

Here I offer 7 tips for a healthy computer … because those nasty viruses hit you when you least expect it.

1. Be careful what you open
   Don’t open any email when you don’t recognize the sender.

   When you do know the sender, don’t open it if:

   1. There is no subject line — or you don’t recognize the subject line
   2. You are not expecting the email
   3. There are vague subject lines (e.g., “check this” or “see these …”). Make sure always to scan them first.
2. Sharing software
   Take care when other people share disks and files with you. They may be infected … the disk that is!
3. Unusual Attachments
   NEVER open attachments that end in .vbs or .js. Most typical users don’t need to open this kind of file — save them for your techie!
4. Familiar file extensions
   The following file extensions may look familiar, but exercise caution and scan before opening: .dos, .exe, .com, .xls., .ppt
5. The dark side …
   Stay away from what I recently heard called the “dark” side of the Internet. Porn sites and illegal software sites are rife with everything you don’t need — sometimes in more senses than one!
6. Update often
   Keep your computer and antivirus programs up-to-date. Even free programs are regularly updated, so check them every week or so.
7. Beware attachments
   Do NOT open every attachment … even if it looks interesting. … And

Bonus reminder
Many downloads related to music and video (e.g., mp3 players) contain harmful viruses. Take care!

What to do if …

Usually, if you don’t click a message open, you won’t catch the virus.

→ But if you do — and there is one — you WILL!

Delete the offending messages immediately and then delete them from your delete box so that they’re totally gone!

If you suspect you may be infected …

1. Disconnect your computer from the Internet (remove the cable from your Internet modem or router; turn off your wireless signal)
2. Run an anti-malware or anti-virus program. This will clean your computer drives and prevent any further spread of the virus.
3. If you are concerned that the spyware has started propagating itself, do what I did, and inform all your contacts.
   (It’s a pain — for you and for them — but it is a good precaution and your contacts will almost always thank you for it in the end.)

Be aware, be safe … remember …

• Be really careful when you are scrolling through your inbox — especially if you are in a hurry.

  → A second or two longer to make an “open-it” decision saves a lot of time later!

• Don’t give in to curiosity no matter how intriguing the headline or well-known the sender. Scan the attachment first.

  → It only takes an instant for the infection to start propagating.

It can happen to you, too!

I received a scary wake-up call, and even though I think I am exceptionally careful, I still got caught.

It cost me time and it cost me money, but it could have cost me a whole lot more … of both!

I think we tend to get complacent about computer safety, especially when we feel we are protected by good programs. We whiz through our emails and, without much thought, we open them.

This incident has made me stop and think …

Let’s all remember to be vigilant at all times because not one of us is immune to this kind of “vandalism,” and through it, we can infect each other.

And, remember to backup your work files regularly in case a virus ever does attack you.

The situation could have been a whole lot worse!

P.S. While you’re at it, remember to look after your own health, too!