Viruses are the oldest parasites known to man, often carriers of terrible and deadly diseases. With the invention of the computer, programmers were witty enough to copy the properties of biological viruses into very small computer programs.
The main purpose of a computer virus is to replicate itself, spread and open access doors; any damage to the system is a consequence of this.
To avoid getting viruses, in general, an anti-virus program is certainly needed but, even more, common sense is needed, especially while surfing the internet, avoiding downloading strange software or accepting installations of external components from untrusted sites.
The most common ways a virus enters a computer are two, via websites and via email .
In another article I had mentioned the best programs to avoid downloading viruses from the Internet, particularly recommended for those who do not think they have the experience of recognizing or not recognizing a dangerous website.
Today's question, however, is: How he gets infected by a virus, a computer, by e-mail "> hoaxes and legends by Email, I wrote where to find details and find out the fake news that circulates on the internet.
Variant of this type of Email virus are those fake messages that clog our email accounts every day, those of banks, lenders, credit cards and so on.
E-mails such as: "Important message", "Update the data", "Congratulations! You have won € 150.00, Poste Italiane Bonus", "The user has been blocked!", "Account statement" and so on. all and always bogus because no bank or cashier sends important messages via Email.
On this topic, I have already written a long post on how to protect online bank accounts from email attacks and scams
2) When the virus is an email attachment
While if you receive an e-mail there is no damage to your computer, infection with a "real" virus, that is, a self-replicating program, can cause problems that are not easy to solve.
Most viruses are masked via an attachment to the email.
Attachments that contain viruses are programs or executable files (the file types: .Com, .Exe, .Vbs, .Zip, .Scr, .Dll, .Pif, .Js) or macro viruses (the file types:. Doc, .docx, .pst, .Dot, .xls, .xlt).
The safest way to avoid them is to not open email attachments, not just from unknown addresses.
Let's say that .exe and programs are unlikely to be received because email providers block them originally.
Word .doc files are much more dangerous because they are considered safe.
Word documents can be easily opened with alternative programs that do not support macros, such as the Wordpad or Open Office.
Some viruses then try to hide their true file extension by adding two of them, for example an attachment like "LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.VBS" which is actually a VBS program.
The good news is that downloading and reading e-mail has no harmful effect unless the attachment is opened.
If you don't know the sender and if the text of the email is suspicious or in English, just delete the email to be sure.
Do not consider a attachment safe only because it comes from a trusted and known contact as it is likely that it has been infected and the virus has replicated and is spreading on its own.
Read each email carefully before opening attachments even if they come from family members.
Many web mail services like Gmail, Yahoo mail and Hotmail scan for email attachment viruses.
If you use a mail program such as Thunderbird or Microsoft Outlook and you do not have an updated antivirus that scans mail attachments in real time, you must always save the files, without opening them, on the hard disk, where they can be checked.
So just remember not to open an attachment before acquiring it on your computer.
3) When the virus is in the body of the email
Last but not least method of spreading viruses via email is by inserting it into the body of the message.
Today, HTML, the programming language of websites, is a common element of email as it is used to embed images and links.
However, HTML can also be used to embed scripts that automatically run and infect your computer with a virus .
That's why many email programs, by default, block HTML and ask the user to press a button to view content from secure sources.
This is a precaution that should never be disabled.
Also, and let's go back to the example of fraudulent e-mail scams from online banks, URLs (site addresses) can be viruses in disguise .
There is poste.it, then a harmless link, and instead you go to a site with a strange name that runs a malicious script or where you automatically download a self-executing virus.
As with attachments, never open and access links from suspicious sources .
Summing up:
The reason all these email virus spreading strategies are successful and work is because they are well thought out.
It can be a nice invitation, a message from a woman, a threat of bank account deactivations, a congratulation for winning a prize, a sensational promotion or a request for help, a message that warns that the PC is infected and needs to be repaired.
Most people easily click on a link that appears useful or curious.
In addition to common sense, always check the source of any suspicious emails before taking action and be very careful before opening attachments and links or viewing HTML content.
You must keep installed on your computer an antivirus that updates regularly (Read here the page with the best antivirus for Windows PC ).
