Avoiding and Repairing Windows Viruses and Worms

Someone asked recently what the IT Networking team would do to keep their Windows computers from being infected by worms and viruses, aside from replacing Windows with Linux or FreeBSD. Here's a partial, very opinionated, answer:

• Stay current with Windows Update. Do Start -> Windows Update; it's way up high in that menu. If that fails, use Internet Explorer (and see below) to go here.

• Keep your anti-virus software up to date (with Norton, launch it from the Start menu, then find a button about LiveUpdate; run that every couple days; set it to do automatic LiveUpdates if you can). If you must go without anti-virus software for a while, run Trend's Housecall over the web.

• Never open an email attachment unless it's from someone you trust AND you're expecting an attachment from them. All attachments should be sent separately from the email saying the attachment is coming. For instance, I might email you now to expect an attachment from me in my next email, then send the attachment later with a short note saying it's what I said I'd send.

• Avoid Microsoft Outlook like the plague: it has so many nasty security holes in it and goes to such great lengths to open and interpret your data for you that it's almost impossible to run it in such a way that it will not infect you with the next virus that comes out. Use Eudora, and turn off that wretched Preview Pane.

• Avoid Microsoft Internet Explorer like the plague: same rationale as Outlook. Use Mozilla Firefox (very nice), plain Mozilla, or Opera for as much of your web browsing as possible.

• If your Windows box has the option of running personal firewall software, do it. Windows XP comes with this (it's in the network options somewhere). Other Windowses can use the free ZoneAlarm or similar.

• Run a spy-ware removal tool, such as AdAware, described on our SpyWare and Pop-Ups page.

• Use McAfee Stinger from Network Associates to clean infections you may get or suspect. It's free, updated frequently to handle recent viruses and worms, and available through nai.com. Please note that this software does not prevent the computer from getting viruses, it merely cleans up some of them once the computer is infected.

• Never ever ever set up a network share from your system, be it a shared printer or a shared drive, without first having the daylights scared out of you by an Internet security person. That person will tell you that this is like leaving the door open after moving a priceless mansion full of family antiques into the worst neighborhood in the country.

It's possible to get by without doing all of this, but it requires more attention to computing detail than most computer users are willing to give. Morehouse users are encouraged to follow as much of this advice as possible.