Never open e-mail with unexpected attachments

An attachment is a program or file sent along with a piece of e-mail. Friends may send you digital photos, for instance. Others may forward a piece of e-mail or a chain letter. Some people send programs they’ve found helpful.

Whenever you see any attachment on an e-mail message, be suspicious immediately — even if you know who sent it to you. Viruses can place anybody’s name in the From: box, making the message look like it came from a friend instead of a stranger.

If a friend sends you a message with an attachment that you didn’t specifically ask for, don’t open it. Don’t respond to it, either. Instead, send a separate e-mail to your friend, asking whether he or she has sent you an e-mail with an attachment. Then wait for his or her response before opening the e-mail.

• Today, most viruses spread when people open attachments apparently sent to them by a friend.
• When a virus mails itself out to other people, it does it secretly. The owner of the computer rarely knows what’s going on. That keeps the virus from being detected for as long as possible, allowing the virus to send a copy of itself to the contacts listed in the person’s address book.
• The most suspicious e-mail attachments end in the letters EXE, VBS, and COM. However, they can use dozens of other types of files to do their dirty work.
• If somebody sends you e-mail saying that you’ve sent him or her a virus, immediately unplug your computer’s phone line from the wall or turn off its modem. If you’re sending e-mail through a network, unplug the network cable from the network card. That keeps your computer from sending the virus to even more people. Then run your antivirus software to disinfect your computer.

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