How to spot a Computer Virus
by:
David Freeman
What is a virus?
How To Identify A Virus Infected E-mail
Message?
• Infected email messages seem to arrive from
someone you know.
• In reality most infected messages are being
automatically sent by another infected
computer whose owner has no idea their
computer even has a problem.
• Since the virus pretends to be the owner of
the infected computer it can be hard for you
to decide if it is legitimate when you receive
it.
Here are a few important things to
watch for:
• E-mail messages from people you don't know
• E-mail messages from friends or family that
you were not expecting (especially if they
contain attachments).
• Attachments in an email with subject lines
that seem inappropriate or strange, even if
it's from someone you know.
• NEVER open an attachment that ends with:
.exe, .pif, .com, .bat, or .scr These are
executable files and will install software!
• Be very cautious when opening .Zip files.
Most .zip files contain viruses.
• Even files ending with .doc, .docx, .xls and
.xlsx (word and excel documents) can carry
macro viruses. (causes a sequence of actions
to be performed automatically)
• Never allow a “Macro” to run. It does not
matter if you completely 100% trust the
person it came from.
• Look at emails labeled “SPAM”. Our email
filters look for suspicious emails and label
them “SPAM”.
• Not all emails are spam . Emails are usually
labeled “SPAM” because they don’t have a
subject and/or the body of the email contains
text or characters that don’t really conform
to proper grammar.
• If you're not 100% sure the email is
legitimate, call the sender and ask before
opening the attachment.
• If you think you've received an e-mail
message with a virus, you should delete the
email WITHOUT opening the email or the
attachment. If it is important, it can always
be resent.
Nothing is Free!
• If it sounds too good to be true.. It probably
is. All “free” software, coupons, browser
toolbars, and anything else advertised as
“free” comes with something attached.
• It may not always be malicious but it will at
the least, contain software to track your
search history.
• They want to know your habits to specifically
target you for ads. (Shopping, Travel, etc.)
Can I get a virus from social media sites?
• Yes, you can get a virus from social media sites.
CNET recently reported that 20 percent of links
found within Facebook users’ newsfeeds will
open viruses.
• How many of you have noticed that when
you are browsing the web looking for shoes,
hunting equipment, automobiles, etc., you
then begin to see ads about what you were
searching for?
• Web browsers use “cookies” to track your
search history. The browser owners such as
google, yahoo, etc., use the data to sell ads to
the companies that are showing up in your
searches. They get paid for every ad that is
displayed and more if you click on it.
• Can I disable “cookies”?
• You have the option to turn off cookies but
most websites won’t work correctly if you
turn them off. “Catch 22”
• How many have received emails offering a
free $100.00 coupon to Walmart?
• How many of you have clicked on a link
either on the web or in a email that seemed
to do nothing?
• How many of you have forwarded the email
to someone to see if they could open it?
INFECTED!!!
Let’s at some examples of emails
that contain viruses:
Virus Sample
Virus Sample
Phishing is the attempt to obtain
sensitive information such as
usernames, passwords, and credit
card details, often for malicious
reasons, by masquerading as a
trustworthy entity in an electronic
communication.
Let’s look at a couple of phishing
pages:
Malicious Tricks to install a virus
How did my Facebook page get
hacked?
Tech Support Scams
• In a recent twist, scam artists are using the
phone to try to break into your computer.
They call, or infect your computer with a virus
claiming to be computer techs associated with
well-known companies like Microsoft. They
say that they’ve detected viruses or other
malware on your computer to trick you into
giving them remote access or paying for
software you don’t need.
If anyone is scanning your computer
for anything….. It’s not to help you!
Malicious Site Examples
• There are thousands of malicious sites out
there just waiting for you!
Now What?
• If you realize that your computer has most
likely been infected, turn it off immediately
and ask the office to create a work order to
have it repaired.
Backup!
• Backup any important files and documents
that you don’t want to lose on a external USB
drive. Don’t leave the drive plugged into your
computer because it will become infected
also.
• Use Google Apps. If you use Google Apps, all
of your data is automatically backed and
protected!