On-line virus scanning - Pro's and Con's

I don't have a virus scan program on my pc. Is there a website(s) that can scan my entire pc &/or particular files for viruses?

- LJ

This question was answered on April 23, 2001. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

Virus scanning is a critical process that anyone that uses a computer must exercise on a regular basis There are several websites that will do a reasonable job of checking your computer for viruses on-line, but there are some major exposures if you use this as your primary line of defense.

Online virus scanning sites such as Trend Micro’s <a href="http://housecall.antivirus.com" target="_blank"><font color="#003399">housecall.antivirus.com</font></a> (do not put “www” in front of it!) or Network Associates <a href="http://www.mcafee.com/myapps/vso" target="_blank"><font color="#003399">McAfee.com</font></a> do an admirable job of scanning for virus code but most can not detect “Trojan horse” programs which generally give hackers a backdoor into your system And, since you don’t have an anti-virus program installed in your system, there is nothing to keep you from contracting a virus These sites can only detect and clean a virus once you have been infected.

In addition, Trojan horse programs do not appear as a virus but simply a program that is running in the background once they have infected your computer The only way to stop a Trojan horse program is during the initial infection, which requires a program that is constantly watching over your system Once a Trojan horse has rooted itself in your system, it will operate invisibly in the background opening the door for malicious attackers to infiltrate your system over the Internet

Anyone that uses e-mail or exchanges disks or files with others is in a high-risk group for contracting a virus It is simply too risky to operate an Internet connected computer without an anti-virus program in place, especially since many of the current e-mail based viruses can automatically send themselves to everyone in your address book in a matter of seconds Remember that you are not only protecting yourself but everyone in which you exchange e-mail messages

Several of the top anti virus vendors including Norton Anti-virus (norton.com), McAfee Associates (mcafee.com), Trend Micro (antivirus.com) all have downloadable versions of their programs as well as limited use trial versions available through their websites.

Once you install an anti-virus program, your work is far from over It is best to update the virus detection code for your program at least once a month, since many new viruses are being discovered everyday Most companies offer free updates to their programs via their websites for a period of time after the initial purchase.

I am constantly amazed by how many computer users think that a 2-year-old anti-virus program is going to protect them from the 20,000 new viruses that have been discovered since they installed their program Or worse yet, those that think that they are somehow immune because they don’t go to those “bad websites”

Easily, half of the systems that my co-workers and I come in contact with are infected with a virus, and in many cases, several viruses Most of today’s viruses operate in a “stealth” mode so there is generally no physical indication that you have been infected Many “weird” things that seem to be happening to your computer may very well be rooted in a virus infection that you didn’t know you had

Computing without an anti-virus program is like driving around without seatbelts or a windshield and on bald tires; it’s just not a good idea!

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