You may have seen a warning message that appeared to come from your antivirus program — and said it found a virus. First response: Separate fact from fiction. If your message was wholly contained within an e-mail message, then it’s most likely a “spam” (junk) message, and one of two things is going on: … Read more
So what are you supposed to do if your antivirus program catches a virus in an incoming mail message? It depends. What’s worse than e-mail spam? How about spam with a virus attached? Spam filters watch for spammers’ favorite words — so spammers use a bizarre mishmash language to get past the filters. In fact, … Read more
Because e-mail is one of the chief means of transporting viruses, most antivirus programs have options that help them work with your e-mail program. This only applies when you are using a “local” e-mail program to read and send mail, and not when you are using a Web browser to handle your mail. The options … Read more
As instant messaging (IM) rises in popularity, it has become the new way for viruses to jump from computer to computer. Consequently, it would be nice if your antivirus program was aware of your IM activity so it could watch for any suspicious activity indicative of a virus. Configuration for IM in your antivirus program … Read more