Here you go!, also if you use MS outlook , look in sent message file. If not? Dick dws@cet.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Debbie Jennings" <debj@comsys.net> To: <INOWEN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, August 13, 2000 9:30 AM Subject: [INOWEN] TIP#3-VIRUSES::WHAT,HOW,WHERE > This is a topic that most persons don't understand completely. > If genealogists have a flaw, and I am not saying we do, of course. > But that flaw would be the unremitting thought that,"this could be the info > with the gold mine!!" > So many of us are so very excited and anxious upon recieving info,even > though we know we should we don't really always STOP and really look at that > attachment before opening.You may not want to admit it even to yourself but > we have all been guilty of it. > Most mailing lists frown on the Virus Warnings type of posts and mainly > because alot of these are Hoaxes. > But in this series of tips, I think it is very pertinent and essential. > I would like to say that in all fairness, some persons passing along viruses > are totally unaware of the situation.I try my best to watch for it on the > list and unsub anyone who is passing them along.(Their request for subbing > usually will carry some warning.) > I would also like to stress that I have seen many times that persons WITH > updated virus scans and protections have still incurred damaging through > some glitch in the system, so some of the alert is up to us.I found the > following piece on the Ancestry.com site and it seems to me to be the best > explanation of the how and why. There are also links to sites for virus > protection.This is not to dissuade any of you from exchanging files, just to > info about the types not to accept. > @-------->--------->-------------<-----------<-----@ > Genealogists are great at exchanging information with one another. We mail > photocopies back and forth, take photographs of cemetery markers, post > information on message boards, exchange e-mail, and even send extracts from > our computerized genealogy databases on disk or as attachments to e-mail > messages. Despite all these good intentions, sometimes our exchange of > electronic information carries a little 'bonus' as well--a computer virus. > > Imagine your horror at having all your years of computerized family history > research destroyed in just a few moments by a computer virus. If you > consider the time, energy and love that has gone into your research, I can't > think of anything that would make you more heartsick than losing all of that > effort in one fell swoop. > > WHAT IS A VIRUS?? > A computer virus is generally defined as a program, which replicates and > transmits itself from one computer to another. Viruses are created by people > with a variety of motives, from the novice programmer who wants to prove > his/her mettle to the outright cyber-terrorist wishing to wreak malicious > destruction on computer users and their equipment. Some viruses act as soon > as they are introduced into your computer, while others lurk until a > specified date and time before activating themselves. Some viruses are > benign, more of an annoyance than anything else. Others, however, may do > irreparable damage by corrupting programs or deleting files. In a worst case > scenario, a virus may reformat your hard disk, destroying all of your > programs and data, and then go beyond that, altering the essential system > code on the BIOS chip on your computer's motherboard. In that case, there is > little hope for your computer other than to replace the motherboard and/or > BIOS chip and then reinstall every program again. And hopefully you backed > up your essential data. Otherwise you will have lost all your valuable > data -- including all your computerized genealogical research materials -- > forever! > > HOW ARE VIRUSES TRANSMITTED? > What you must first understand is that computer viruses are executable > programs, and their file name extensions are most often .exe (for executable > program). Others are .com (command files) and, occasionally, .ovl (overlay > files). UNDERSTAND TOO THAT THEY ARE NOT TEXT FILES -- those with a file > extension of .txt in their name. THEY ARE ALSO NOT GRAPHIC FILES such as > those with file extensions of .gif, .jpg, .bmp, .tif, or .tiff, and a > variety of other graphics format files. > > Computer viruses can be transmitted between computers in several ways, all > of which allow the executable files to be introduced and to run on your > computer. There are literally thousands of viruses floating around in > cyberspace, all acting a little differently. > > 1. A friend, colleague, or fellow researcher may provide you with a disk > with documents or files on it. You may place this in your computer's floppy > drive (A:) and copy the files to your hard disk. If there was a boot sector > virus on the disk, one that affects your system's start-up files, you just > introduced it to your computer. The next time you try to start your > computer, you're dead. > > 2. Perhaps you didn't copy the files. Instead, perhaps you opened a GEDCOM > file from your A: drive. There isn't a problem -- yet. However, you turn off > your computer, leaving the disk in the floppy drive. If there's a boot > sector virus there, the next time you turn on your computer, it tries to > start itself with system files on the floppy disk in the A: drive. It then > reads the virus and introduces it to the computer. > > 3. You have been exchanging E-mail with someone about your surname and they > agree to share their GEDCOM file. When you receive the E-mail with the file > attached., you notice the file is named JONES.EXE. You download the file to > your hard disk and open it. Surprise! There's a file-infecting virus inside, > and it may start working immediately to alter or destroy files on your > computer. > > 4. Another person sends you a file that they tell you is compressed in a > .ZIP format. ZIP files can consist of one or more files that have been > compressed to eliminate spaces and therefore improve storage and transfer > time. You download the file, but unfortunately this JOHNSON.ZIP file also > contains a self-extracting facility that immediately starts the virus (that > was also included in the little package) and devastation is on its way. > > 5. Another researcher sends you a Microsoft Word document as an attachment > to an e-mail. At first glance, it looks great. The file is named WILSON.DOC > and you download and store it on your hard disk. When you go to open it, a > box is displayed asking you whether you want to Enable Macros or Open > Without Enabling Macros. You select 'Enable Macros' and someone has just hit > you with a virus, one that uses an advanced feature of MS-Word to run a set > of program instructions that can wreak havoc on your computer. > > All of these are pretty scary. Not only can these scenarios happen, some > viruses combine multiple techniques and attack in multiple ways. Some even > hide in your computer's memory (RAM) or alter themselves in size and rename > themselves to avoid detection. > > HOW WILL MY COMPUTER STAY VIRUS FREE? > While there are many ways to catch a virus, there are a number of ways and > places you will not contract a computer virus. > > 1. Prepackaged software sold in retail stores or from reputable locations on > the Internet will not have viruses. If you go to a store and consider > purchasing prepackaged software that has been opened and is on sale for a > bargain price, think again. The person who returned the merchandise may have > infected the software, on purpose or unintentionally. > > 2. Software and data files that you find at reliable genealogy sites such as > Ancestry.com, the Genealogy Forum on America Online, CompuServe, and > Prodigy, and some other sites are rigidly checked for viruses. You can > download these files with confidence that they have been screened and that > any viruses have been eradicated. > > 3. Files attached to e-mail that are text type files, bearing file names > with the extension of .txt, are not executable programs and are therefore > not viruses. > > HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF > The most effective way to protect yourself against viruses is to know your > source. Be careful about accepting disks and files from strangers, and be > wary about where on the Internet you download files. > > Second, purchase and use a reputable anti-virus software program and check > every single file you introduce to your computer, regardless of its > location. The major software packages on the market are McAfee's VirusScan > (http://www.mcafee.com/), Dr. Solomon's Anti-Viral Tool Kit > (http://www.drsolomon.com/), and Symantec's Norton Anti-Virus > (http://www.symantec.com/). A good anti-virus software package will detect > different types of viruses, alert you to their presence, delete them and/or > try to clean infected files. > > Make sure you obtain frequent updates/upgrades from these companies' Web > sites or periodically purchase new versions of their software. With hundreds > of new viruses discovered annually, you cannot afford to be lackadaisical on > this subject. > > Third, make an emergency boot disk. In the event that a virus infects your > system, you will be able to bypass the infected or damaged system files and > restart your computer. See your computer manual or Windows 95/98 Help files > for instructions. It's easy! > > Last but not least, back up all your important data on a regular basis. If a > virus destroyed your genealogical research information stored on your > computer, you would probably never be able to recreate it all. Invest a few > minutes regularly to back up your data and you might save yourself many > months of reconstruction and reentry of data. > > Be Prepared! > Now that you understand what a virus is and what one can do to your > computer, make certain you are prepared against this insidious form of > cyber-terrorism. Invest the time to learn more about viruses, purchase and > use anti-virus software, know your sources, be vigilant in your > virus-checking routine, and regularly back up your data. This is another > important way to preserve your family history. > > > > Debbie Jennings > debj@comsys.net > "Following the footprints through time" > > > ==== INOWEN Mailing List ==== > >