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What protection can I expect from "bundled" antivirus software:

There are so many new viruses, Trojan and Worms being written and altered, on a daily basis, that one has to update their antivirus definitions every day. That's why all legitimate anti-virus programs come with some automatic update component. Free anti-virus or anti-malware may only allow for automatic checking for updates once a day. Paid subscribers will usually have multiple updates pushed to them every day.

Even if your anti virus program has automatic updates it is very prudent for you to manually check for updates on a regular basis, in case a sudden definition updates was pushed out after your last automatic check, because programs with out-of-date virus definitions can't protect you from new threats and hostile scripts.

A note about email attachments and hostile programs:

Speaking of hostile scripts, even if your anti-virus program scans incoming attachments, always look at the total filename before saving or opening any email attachment, just in case a brand new threat is inside that attachment. This is because many Internet worms and viruses are hidden-in-plain-sight, by using a non-executable filename, with an executable final extension. Even more insideous are some file-extensions that are not displayed in default Windows setups, such as .shs (Windows Scrap Object).

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If the final extension ends in any of the following names it is executable and is capable of containing hostile code: .pif .lnk .bat .cmd .com .cpl .exe .scr (screensaver) .shs (not visible by default setup) .vbs .hta .rtf .doc .xls .ppt (the last 4 legitimate file-types could contain macro virus codes). I have seen infected spreadsheets sent from legitimate businesses who did not know that the computer they used to create the report was infected with a Macro infector, which replicated itself to everyone who received these attachments.

The bottom line is to first look to see what the full filename is, and then to decide whether to scan it for hostile code (if you're expecting it), with an up-to-date antivirus program, or simply delete it if you weren't expecting it (my procedure). If you must send or receive an email attachment be sure that the full filename is typed in both the subject and the body of the email, to authenticate it. Then scan it before opening it.

Most of the current brands of anti virus programs can be, or are automatically configured to intercept and scan your incoming email for infected attachments or embedded threats, before releasing them to your POP3 email program (eg. Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Eudora, etc.). Most are configured to automatically delete any infected attachment or otherwise hostile scripted messages, or to remove the attachments.

Unfortunately, this feature is not available to users of AOL's proprietary software. Check the AOL Frequently Asked Questions to find out what they are doing, or what products they are offering at a discount, to protect you from viruses and spyware. In reality, unless you have downloaded, installed and regularly update anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall software your computer is NOT fully protected by AOL, Earthlink, or whomever you have for your ISP.

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