Viruses Abound!!!
Protect your computer & networks now!!!
In the not-to-distance
past, it was not typically necessary to have up-to-date anti-virus
software on all computers that access the net.
The chances of getting a virus were so remote that one could be
naive to the problem and not be affected.
WAKE UP, times have
changed!!!!! In the past
month or so, we have seen an incredible increase in contamination
attempts and viruses found on systems connected to the net.
It’s imperative that anti-virus software be installed, activated
and kept up-to-date with current virus definitions on ALL computers that
are used to access the internet!
It is your responsibility to maintain current anti-virus
software, and to do everything in your power to protect your network
from viruses and hackers. We recommend either one of these
antivirus applications, which you can easily purchase either online or
from any office supply or computer store:
We have seen that most practices have had
antivirus software on their computers, but it was not automatically
updating the virus definitions! This function was left up to the
user, and it was not be performed on a regular basis. For this
reason, we are requiring ALL computers that access the net to have
either application mentioned above operating !!! These
applications will automatically update the virus definitions, requiring
no input from the user!
Now, you think that's that! You
might say, "With this software, I'm protected from the dangers of the
net!" WRONG!!!!
Firewalls - The Second Step in Total Net
Protection!
We have now found evidence of hackers
accessing computers on a regular basis. If you are leaving your
computer online for extended amounts of time, it is necessary for that
computer to have a firewall installed. Now, this is a bit more
complicated in terms of what a firewall does and how to set it up.
We recommend the firewall products from:
ZoneAlarm Pro
Firewall (Zone Labs,
http://www.zonealarm.com)
or
Symantec (Internet Security Products,
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/index.html )
or
McAfee (McAfee Personal Firewall, http://www.mcafee.com/ )
for most computers.
If you're running the net over your LAN,
then a more robust firewall is required.
Using the internet as an information
source and channel for communications is becoming more critical, but we
must protect our computers and data from those uninvited guests, viruses
& hackers.
We urge you to install the latest
software
to protect against viruses and to
install the latest firewall !!!
