Just as I sat down to put together an entry on computer security, I received an email from a friend about …the worst virus announced by CNN. It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever.
This forwarded email message (which I know my friend had sent to all her friends because I could see all their names and email addresses) went on to describe the threat in detail, referencing all the big names: Symantec, McAfee, Snopes, etc., and warning me of the potential for complete destruction of my hard drive and all the information stored on it. The only protection offered in the case of receiving this virus was to shut down the computer immediately.
After looking over the message, I decided to write about something other than security…I decided to write about logic and common sense. No doubt youve heard stories about home owners who were so frightened of being robbed that they put multiple locks on their doors and bars on their windows, then were unable to exit their homes when they experienced a fire.
Computer security requires a lot of common sense. Although the warning email I received claimed to have checked out the threat on the popular myth busting site Snopes.com, I went to Snopes myself and immediately was reading: Although the Postcard virus is real, it isnt a BIG VIRUS COMING (its already been around in multiple forms for a long time now), it will not burn the whole hard disk of your computer, CNN didnt classify it as the worst virus ever…
In other words, if you are going to be vigilant and skeptical, then be skeptical of all the warnings you receive. Its true there are some really bad people out there. They will steal your personal information, they will gleefully send you a virus that will create havoc on your computer, they will send you hundreds of emails offering cheap drugs and male enhancement products.
You should definitely take prudent steps to protect yourself from all of the above, but six dead-bolt locks on each door and locked bars on the windows might be overkill and wont work when someone knocks on the door, offers to fix the roof damage they conveniently noticed as they passed by and then makes off with a check for several hundred dollars and your checking account and social security numbers printed on the front.
There is a correlation to the old saying if its too good to be true, it probably isnt. Basically, you just shouldnt trust any extreme message, whether it says you can earn $5 million overnight or a virus is coming that will destroy your computer.
In an effort to be helpful, this dire email warning my friend sent me had two links claiming to be to the articles that verified the validity of the claims. I didnt trust the almost hysterical tone of the email, and I didnt trust the links included. I went to Firefox and typed in the address www.snopes.com. to assess the warning.
Later, I checked out the links and they proved to be legitimate, but the point is they might have been links to the virus itself!
Logic and common sense, two of the best security tools you can own.