Q: What is the best defence I have against Virus Infection or Trojans?

A: The answer to that question is quite simple in one way, but I will also explain why.

The Answer is simply Knowledge.

The reasoning is also quite simple. Even the best antivirus software in the world can't pick up every-single virus. The reason for this is because there are so many inbred monkeys out there who think it's fun to create a virus to cause harm to computer systems. Many of these Virus writers do so simply because they can, or because they are bored. Un-wiling, or just too stupid to put their brains to a useful task they set about creating devestating software.

When someone writes a virus, it isn't going to be in any Virus database until someone catches a strain of it, and it is "captured" and analyzed by a virus specialist, who can then update their virus scanner to recognize it. However by the time this happens, there could by many thousands of infected people, and this number can spread exponentially with out protection in place. If your virus scanner hasn't updated before you get hit with the virus, then quite simply "You" are your only hope.

If the virus comes in the form of an attachment, you need the Knowledge to determine wether or not this is a file you should be running or not. Even if you trust the person the attachment came from, it could be that they have been infected with the virus, and inadvertantly sent it to you. ONLY execute attachments from people if you KNOW in advance that they are sending them to you, and only then if you can trust them.

If the virus is self-executing in certain email clients, then you need to have the knowledge of what types of email client can be exploited by virus writers (Microsoft Outlook/Outlook Express for example).

So in order to stay safe.. Stay informed.. And as always if you have any questions.. Ask Intell!