Home > Advice and how-to > Security and privacy > Email viruses and hoaxes
A virus is a malicious program that replicates itself and often modifies other programs. When a virus gets into system software, the computer may fail to boot, the system may crash, or the software may work incorrectly. Web browsing and files downloaded from the Internet are common sources of virus infection.
The Internet is an unregulated mechanism of communication and information gathering. You may find yourself vulnerable to viruses over the Internet in these ways:
If you receive email from someone saying that your computer is infected by a virus, it is likely a hoax or scam attempting to trick you into installing the attached "patch" or a computer infected with a virus was sending infected messages using your email address.
Another variant of this phishing scam is an email detailing your mailbox is shutdown, delayed, or blocked and you must login to a special web site. Simply delete the email message and continue your normal work.
If an LSCR consultant informs you that your computer is infected with a virus, don't panic, save your work, and just let us clean up your computer.
The simplest and most effective way is to communicate odd computer behavior to a trusted computer support team like LSCR. You may also be able to do something yourself.
If you are supported by LSCR, you should have on your computer a program called Norton AntiVirus or Symantec AntiVirus. It would be advantageous for you to run this yourself once in a while on your hard drive.
If you do not have it, you can obtain it from your LSCR support staff. If you are on campus but not supported by LSCR, you can download it from http://software.berkeley.edu.
Always, the best form of computer virus protection is common sense and calm, informed communication with someone who is a computer expert like those of LSCR. We are always here to help you.