Q: How else can I keep viruses out of my computer?

A: There are three important areas to be aware of in order to prevent a virus infection:

Diskette Operation

If you have a known clean diskette, you can make it impossible for a high-risk computer to transfer anything to a diskette placed in drive A. But you can copy any files on that diskette to the hard disk. What you must do before inserting the diskette is activate the "write-protect" feature. On 5.25-inch diskettes, take one of the special pieces of tape supplied in the package and stick it over the square write-protect notch on the edge of the diskette. On 3.5-inch diskettes, you move the little square plastic tab in the corner.

LAN Operation

Generally, the system administrator for a LAN is a computer professional who is well aware of virus risks and has established regulations and scanning techniques to protect the system. They know that a virus on the LAN can spread like wildfire. Nevertheless, some precautions will be covered here because every LAN user needs to understand why their cooperation is so important. These networks are only as well defended as their weakest user. Also, in medium and smaller organizations, it is common for a person without formal training to be named the LAN administrator. Studies show that smaller LANs are more vulnerable to viruses than big ones, even though a hit in a big one results in significantly more damage. Three secrets to protecting a computer network from viruses are a layer approach (like fire walls in a building), continually educating LAN users, and denying access to the network unless certain requirements are met.

The Client/Server LAN Design

A quarantine computer must be established, isolated from the LAN, where diskettes can be tested until proved virus free. All use of untested diskettes must be outlawed. Use anti-virus software on every PC or workstation on the LAN. By the way, most good scanner vendors offer their customers education and certification programs, product updates to cover additional unknown viruses, and telephone hotlines for emergencies. In addition, use a scanner on the network file server that's designed specifically to work with that LAN's operating software. Using the same brand on server and PCs works better so the scanners don't give false alarms when they encounter signs of a different scanner. The scanner should scan network workstations when they log in and reject entry if a problem is found. Use passwords that aren't common English words, change passwords every 30-90 days, and don't rely on the password query alone. Some new computers also can prevent unrestricted booting from diskettes. They don't allow the password query to be evaded without opening the computer chassis. The file server scanner should contain a program enabling the system administrator to easily distribute software and updates to each workstation or PC. Furthermore, it should be able to detect if a known virus has entered a PC and allow the administrator to quickly delete the virus or isolate it harmlessly.

Peer-to-Peer LAN Design

In a peer-to-peer LAN, any given computer can be both a client and a server. Because of this, peer-to-peer LANs are particularly vulnerable to virus propagation. To ensure that all users are protected, a uniform policy of virus detection and prevention must be implemented. For assistance, ask NCSA for its pamphlet, Corporate Computer Virus Prevention Policy.

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