Opera

Viruses and Spyware

There are several things you can do to guard against viruses. First, you should have reputable virus protection software installed on your computer. Your local computer dealer has these for sale, or you can download them from vendors' Web sites.

However, you should also protect your computer against spyware; applications made to track your computer and on-line activities. Such applications often sneak into your computer as parts of other, seemingly harmless, software packages. Some of these applications may also harm your computer in other ways.

Note: Once you have this software installed, it is vital to keep it updated regularly. New viruses and spyware appear constantly.

Keeping malware out

We will, from now on, assume you have anti-virus and anty-spyware controls installed. But that is your last line of defense. The best way to prevent your computer from being infected, is to keep your computer from having to counter sources of infection. Viruses, spyware and other software that may harm your computer are collectively known as malware.

• Only download files from reputable sources. Try to research other users' experiences with applications.
• Be wary of e-mail attachments. Do not open anything unless you are certain it is safe. Messages with viruses in them will often pretend to be sent from someone you know, so a known sender is not a guarantee that the attachment is safe. If in doubt, send your contact a message and ask "Did you really send this to me? What is it?"
• Be particularly careful with file types that have been known to carry viruses, see Potentially hazardous file types.

Virus myths

You may at times receive virus "warnings" from friends or colleagues. These "warnings" are almost as common as viruses themselves, and in most cases the warnings are hoaxes. You may receive an e-mail warning of a virus that can be carried in the text of an e-mail. This is not true. A virus cannot be passed to you in the text body of a message. If you are using Opera's e-mail client, the only way you can receive a virus by e-mail, is as an attachment that you open.