Newsletters
Virus protection
- What is:
- Product options
- 2005
- Quarter One
View an illustration of virus protection options (PDF).
A computer virus is a software program or a piece of code which is loaded onto a user's computer without their knowledge and run or executed against their wishes. Simple viruses can copy themselves over and over again on your computer, using up memory and eventually bringing your system to a stop. More common these days are the viruses which are designed to spread themselves from one computer to another over networks, the internet or email through attachments. As well as replicating themselves, viruses can be programmed to corrupt, delete or erase information held on your computer.
One of the world's worst virus was LoveLetter which infected millions of computers in spring 2000. To date LoveLetter caused more damage than any other computer virus. The virus was spread through email, internet chat rooms and other shared file systems. Unsuspecting recipients received an email with the subject line of "ILOVEYOU". On opening the attachment linked to this email, the virus would be executed and overwrote various files on the computer, including .gif and .jpg image files. In addition to this, some files would be moved and others hidden on the victim's computer.
Spam is a term used when someone floods the internet with multiple copies of a message, thereby forcing the message onto people who have not chosen to receive it. Common contents of a spam message are commercial advertising, get rich quick schemes and quasi-legal services. For the sender, spam is a very inexpensive method of getting their message to a huge number of people. There are two types of spam:
- Junk newsgroup postings
A single message, sent to twenty or more newsgroups and therefore overwhelming the newsgroup users with a barrage of unwanted postings. - Junk email
The internet equivalent of junk mail where individual users are targeted with direct email messages. Spam lists are created by scanning newsgroup postings, purchasing internet mailing lists or searching web sites for email addresses.
Spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organisation without their knowledge. On the internet, spyware is programming that is put in someone's computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program.
Spyware is often installed without the user's consent, as a drive-by-download, or as the result of clicking some option in a deceptive pop-up window. Spyware comes in many forms and at its most benign exploits lazy browsing habits to install itself and subject users to unwanted adverts (adware). Other forms hijack net browser settings to force people to view pages they would otherwise never visit. At its most malign, spyware watches everything that people do with their PC and steals login information and other personal data (keylogging).
McAfee Active Virus Defense enterprise edition protects each PC workstation and server on your network from viruses. Viruses arrive at PCs and servers in the following ways:
- Download from the internet
- Email attachment
- External PC device e.g. floppy drive or CD
AVD includes McAfee's e-Policy Orchestrator, which is a powerful centralised management system.
McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator is installed on a dedicated server with an agent on each PC workstation and server on your network. ePolicy continuously asks each PC and server what version of anti-virus they are running and updates them if they are out of date with the master copy. The main advantages of e-policy are:
- If there are any problems with updating a PC or server the e-policy will notify the network administrator so that remedial work can be carried out.
- If there is a virus attempt somewhere on your network, e-policy will notify the administrator of where this has occurred.
- Similarly, if a virus does enter your network, e-policy will notify the administrator and will also track where and how the virus entered the network in the first place. This enables you to continuously monitor your current internal internet/email policies.
McAfee Secure Internet Gateway
McAfee Secure Internet Gateway can enhance your anti-virus provision in two main ways:
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Without SIG you would be alerted to viruses once they are either on the PC or on the server. In the worst-case scenario, if you are not able to catch the virus it could infect your network in a very short space of time. SIG physically sits between your network and the Internet and is therefore a ‘first-line' defence against virus attack.
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SIG also provides first-line protection against spam email
McAfee AntiSpyware software sits on each PC on your network and protects your users against spyware and adware. AntiSpyware works by proactively detecting, blocking or safely eliminating these potentially unwanted programs before they can execute their damaging activities.
