Most people assume that a virus is any kind of computer threat. Actually, it is malware that inserts a code into a document or program and then, like a medical virus, spreads itself through your computer by various means.

Viruses were the original type of malware. Today, viruses are still the most common type of computer threat and most (90%) spread themselves through attachments on emails.

However, a virus cannot enter your computer unless you do something to allow it to do so. That is why it is important to train your employees to never open an attachment from someone they don’t know or weren’t expecting. Even if you know the sender, an attachment can contain a virus.

There is something else similar to a virus called a worm. The problem with worms is that they attach themselves to an email and not in an attachment. Simply reading the email will cause them to get into your computer and quickly spread.

Therefore, it should be a priority of every company and individual to use virus protection software to limit the incoming malware, and then to educate employees to make sure those worms and viruses that slip through never get opened. Anti-virus programs look at the contents of each file looking for specific patterns called a virus signature. Every virus signature will be removed or destroyed.

When the anti-virus program vendors learn about a new virus, they provide an updated set of virus signatures that include that new one. Through features provided by the updated anti-virus program, your computer also automatically learns of this new virus and begins checking each file for it, along with checking for all the older viruses.

Concerned about your company’s Internet security?