Business mentor: Enemy - and friendly - fire threat to networks

Question: "I own a small to medium-sized business. What do I need to know about computer viruses and how do I protect myself?"

Richard Batchelar, country manager of Symantec New Zealand, replies:

Small businesses are often more at risk of getting viruses than big companies, as they usually do not employ an IT manager to install and monitor computer security software.

Even big companies, despite the time, energy, and money committed to network security, find their network's biggest threat is frequently from the inside - the careless user.

As well as having basic security measures in place (such as firewalls, virus and mobile code protection, and content filtering) businesses also need to focus on training employees to help reduce the impact of human threat.

It is hard to teach a workforce to conform to these guidelines. This is why anti-virus software continues to be a necessity for any company and home office computer users.

It provides a level of security that users are comfortable with and is on the whole very effective.

The best ways to protect your network are:

* Use common sense. Never open attachments from unknown sources or attachments you are not expecting. Turn off automatic opening of e-mail attachments.

Don't be fooled into thinking you know what the attachment is. Even though it may appear to have a .jpg extension, for example, Windows allows multiple extensions and many e-mail programs will show only the first.

* Install an anti-virus product and keep it up to date with the latest definitions. You should update your virus definitions once a week as your anti-virus is only as good as the last update.

* When you load the anti-virus do a complete scan to ensure no viruses are infecting your machine. Most leading anti-viruses scan all files on installation.

* Ensure your anti-virus is automatically checking all documents arriving by floppy disk, CD and other removable media as well as by e-mail or the internet.

* Do not download software from non-trusted sources.

It's reasonable to assume that software downloaded from a reputable online library is not infected, but many other sites offer software downloads.

* Beware of hoax viruses. If you receive an e-mail from a friend that claims that a new virus is the worst ever and asks you to forward the e-mail to everyone you know - it is probably a hoax.

Hoax viruses can be as much of a nuisance as the real thing if they are forwarded to a lot of people and waste their time.

* Use alternative document formats such as .rtf (Rich Text Format) and .pdf (Portable Document Format). The most common type of macro viruses use Microsoft Office applications to spread.

Limiting the use of these document types will limit your risk. A .pdf document is often adequate and is far safer.

* Do not share diskettes for installing software or, even worse, copies of software. This allows viruses to move from machine to machine. It is also possibly illegal if the licence is not taken into account.

It's reasonable to assume that if the individuals copying illegal software are not concerned about copyright then they might also not be bothered about adequate virus protection. Pirated software is a major source of virus infection.

* If you use the internet, especially via broadband and "always on" connections, it is important to protect your privacy and unwanted access to your PC with a personal firewall product. Details such as your home address, credit card numbers and other personal information can be accessed if unprotected. Virus protection, firewalls, and content filtering technologies can help to monitor threats, but employee training is a key security measure.

* We have two copies of Norton System Works 2002 Professional Edition (sells for $239) to give away. These are suitable for Windows PCs. Enter by sending in questions for the Mentor column. E-mail them to ellen_read@nzherald.co.nz by Thursday. Answers will be provided by Business in the Community's Mentor Programme.