Why Should I Scan My Outgoing Email for Viruses?
~~Mike Baynes, MikesWhatsNews
This is a question I'm often asked. It is
frequently followed by the comments, "I have an AV program so I know I'm not
infected" and "well, they should have AV protection".
We cannot
afford to think as individuals. We must think of the internet/www as a
global community in which we are all active members. Sort of an internet
United Nations.
Virus and Trojans are written to take advantage of unprotected computers.
Some programs are more effective than others at blocking
virus/worms/Trojans. Often computers are infected when the computer
connects to the internet for
the first time and, for this reason, it is wise to install an AV program
before going online for the first time. Don't be afraid to ask for some
advice from one of your more experienced friends.
The purpose of scanning the email during the send process is to ensure
that we do not accidentally spread a virus or worm which has infected our
computer without our knowledge. These infections can come form hidden
scripts in programs we have downloaded and neglected to scan with our AV
program. Sometimes, unfortunately, they may even come embedded in commercial
programs that we have purchased. I recommend scanning all program files and
attachments every time.
Frequently, new virus/worms/Trojans may be discovered overnight and the
resulting infections may be waiting in your email. The patch for your
AV program may also be issued the same day, so don't forget to check for AV
updates often.
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Mike Baynes is the
editor of
MikesWhatsNews
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See Mike's Anti-Virus pages ~
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