Virus Information

Virus Information

Computer viruses are malicious software programs that have been written to purposely cause some form of harm to computer systems, networks, and the information that resides on them. Computer viruses have become a threat to virtually every computer user in the world. Viruses are often written to masquerade as useful programs, so computer users are induced to copy and share them with work colleagues and friends. Viruses also are often hidden within files that you may receive from the Internet, a colleague, a friend, or some other outside source such as your own home computer. The damage caused by viruses can vary widely and can be so extensive as to require the complete rebuilding or replacement of a computer system and the data it contained. As soon as a virus is loaded into your computer, it can be quickly spread to other programs on your computer and computers that you may share information with.

Your XX Agency microcomputer system has an anti-virus software program on it called McAfee that constantly monitors, locates, and identifies known computer viruses. McAfee checks certain types of files on your computer whenever you access those files. The McAfee anti-virus software program can also be used to manually scan diskettes, which should be done whenever you get a diskette from someone else or bring a diskette from home. If McAfee locates a virus on your computer or disk, it informs you that your computer system has a virus.

Because of the potential damage a virus may cause, it is extremely important that whenever a virus is detected, you do nothing further on the computer and immediately contact your local Customer Services Help Desk. Do not attempt to correct the problem yourself. The Customer Service Representative will instruct you how to proceed and ask several questions concerning the computer system and the virus.

Not all viruses can be cleaned from a computer, and occasionally the only way to remove a virus is to remove the file or data that is infected by the virus. In some cases we may have to repush your computer. It is important to understand that no anti-virus software program can offer 100 percent virus protection. So it is imperative that you take all necessary precautions to avoid infecting your computer system. Precautions would include scanning all incoming and outgoing diskettes, not downloading information from unfamiliar or unknown sources or Internet web sites and being skeptical of shared or free programs.