Computer Infectors & Viruses

Remind your parent or the person your family assigned to install updates to anti-virus software and security patches.

Use your anti-virus software at least once a day. Infectors moving through instant messaging or websites are difficult to recognize until their damage is noticeable.

Don’t open any email attachment without first doing two things: ask the sender if they really did send you the attachment in a separate email or phone call; and, save the attachment to a file, then use your anti-virus software.

Don’t click on any links in an email that you did not give your permission to receive.

Infectors that need you to click on an attachment are the easiest to recognize. A list that you can print to keep near your computer and read about each infector
from is available in our viruses section. A double extension at the end of a name of an attachment could indicate an infector. Examples: something.exe.pif or something.zip.scr or something.doc.pif or something.jpg.vbs or something.bmp.exe or something.txt.vbs.

Here are some common names that are infectious email attachments:

AnnaKournikova.jpg.vbs, Anniv.doc, Casper.exe, Christma.exe, Christmas.exe, Chocolate.exe, DilbertDance.jpg, Donald.exe, Fun.exe, Fun.pif, GuessGame.html, GuessGame.vbe, MyJuliet.chm, MyRomeo.exe, Olive.exe, Parrot.scr, Pikachupokemon.exe, Popeye.exe, Simpsons.zip, SouthPark.exe