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Do you remember the two clients of mine recently hit by that devastating computer virus?  These two clients are very, very similar.  They are both small companies, located in the same county, and rely heavily on PCs for day-to-day operations.

Both clients use the same ISP, and both clients run the same anti-virus software.

But there was one big difference.  One company lost two days of revenue while the other kept working.  Remember what made the difference?

Knowledge.  Here it comes...

            Technology Secret #1          

    Email Viruses Are AVOIDABLE,    
     Even WITHOUT Virus Protection    

Let me explain what I mean.

Any company can be hit with a virus.  To be safe, you must avoid infection.  You must recognize and remove the virus before it is triggered.  But how can you tell if a virus or Trojan horse passed your firewall...?  (Click HERE to learn more about firewalls.)

Here's a REAL problem.  When you receive a virus as an email attachment, you can't spot it.  It could be any sort of file because you can't see the file extension.  (The last three letters after the dot in the file name.  Like readme.txt -- the .txt is the extension.)  File extensions are HIDDEN by Microsoft!

Here's another problem.  Some users don't know the difference between a dangerous file and a safe file...even when they can see the extension.  Files named Aunt-Jane.jpg and Aunt-Jane.bat are the same thing to them...but boy are they different!

One file is a 'safe' file, a graphic image file.  The other is DANGEROUS.  It is an MS-DOS batch file.  And by clicking on it, you give full permission for the batch file to go out and do whatever it wants to on your computer.  Potential disaster!

            Technology Secret #2          

    YOU CAN AVOID  All  Email Infections    

KNOWLEDGE is the key.  And here's what you need to know.  The table below is a list of file extensions.  One column shows extensions that are potentially dangerous, the other column lists extensions that are safe.  (Remember that we are just talking about the file extension.)
 

Quiz time.  Is this a safe file, or a dangerous file: dreamy.txt.pif?  The extension is .pif...which makes it DANGEROUS.  Don't get fooled by a "double extension."  It's a common trick hackers use...because it works.  Don't YOU get caught!

Do you see how easy this is?  Don't click on potentially dangerous files -- even if they are from someone you know.  Now, if someone has written you a personal note that you are CERTAIN is genuine, go ahead an open it.

But if you're not absolutely sure, write them back and ask, "Hey, I just got his thing from you.  Did you send it to me?"  I've done that dozens of times because friends had opened up a virus and the virus spread.  Usually I don't hear back from them for a few days because their PC was wrecked so badly.

Put YOUR protection in place.  Give us a ring to ensure your staff comprehends what is SAFE and what is DANGEROUS.  Ask for our pre-written training guides for your staff.  Master this secret before someone in your company accidentally wipes you out.  Our number is (302) 999-1899.

            Technology Secret #3          

    Virus Protection Software Is  
        NEVER Up-To-Date      

Did you know this -- your Virus Protection software only protects you from old viruses?  That's right.  A newly released virus will go UNDETECTED straight through your anti-virus software because its "signature" isn't recognized.

YOU are the only protection when a new virus is released.  By being on-the-ball you'll recognize potential viruses when they arrive in your email.  You won't click on them and give them permission to do whatever they want!

Make sure all your people are trained to AVOID virus infection.  Call to sign-up.

            Technology Secret #4          

    REVEALING Hidden Extensions   

You can't tell WHAT a file is...unless you change Microsoft's settings for Windows Explorer.  The default setting HIDES FILE EXTENSIONS!

Fix it like this.  For Windows 95 and 98 PCs, open Windows Explorer, go to View > Options.  DESELECT "Hide files of these types" and "Hide MS-DOS file extensions for file types that are registered."  For Windows NT / 2000 / XP, open Explorer, go to Tools > Folder Options > View and DESELECT "Hide extensions for known file types."

Pay attention to file extensions!  You have now revealed the extensions, make sure you evaluate them.  Grasp the importance of each extension.  Before long, a virus file will become obvious to you.

What is your strategy?  Let's implement a plan to master these skills throughout your whole company.  Call us at (302) 999-1899 today.  (Thank you.)

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