From...

December 27, 1999
Web posted at: 10:59 a.m. EST (1559 GMT)

by Linda L. Grubbs

(IDG) -- This has been a month for virus outbreaks. First, the ExploreZip.worm virus spread via e-mail and threatened to overwrite recipients' Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. Two weeks later, W95/Babylonia threatened anyone who uses Internet relay chat.

To protect yourself from these and the other new viruses that crop up all the time, it's important to update your antivirus software's data definition files. This week's top ten list includes the most recent definition files for Norton and McAfee users, trial versions of reputable antivirus programs, and more resources for protecting your PC. If you want to learn more about how viruses operate, the Antivirus Practice Lab and Antiviral Toolkit Virus Encyclopedia can teach you how they work and what you can do to protect your system from getting infected in the future.

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1. Norton AntiVirus 2000: Scan, detect and eliminate viruses on your hard drives, floppy disks, or file attachments with Norton AntiVirus 2000. This update protects against Worm.ExploreZip and other dangerous viruses. New features include e-mail scanning, virus alert messages, and graphical alerts. This is a trial version; the full program costs $36 to download from Symantec's site and $40 to buy shrink-wrapped.

2. Panda Antivirus Platinum: This $59 utility helps you detect and remove many types of viruses, and protects your PC from encrypted, polymorphic, and boot viruses. It also gets rid of macro viruses (in Word, Excel, and Access), and viruses you might get from Java applets, ActiveX controls, and e-mail.

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3. F-Secure Anti-Virus: Check your Windows 95/98 system for viruses and treat the infected files in one sweep. F-Secure scans executables, archives, documents, and other files for viruses, Trojan horses, and even macro viruses. It also uses heuristic detection methods to locate unidentified viruses, and guards against Internet and encrypted viruses as well. This is a trial version; the full package costs $99.

4. eSafe:This $39 suite of Internet security applications protects against viruses and "vandal" programs that enter your PC through Java applets, ActiveX applets, plug-ins, and push technology. Other features include privacy protection, a personal firewall, and protection against macro viruses.

5. BootProtect 98: Protect your Windows 95/98 system from boot-sector viruses with this $15 tool. When you shut down your PC, BootProtect scans all drives containing disks and reminds you to remove them. It also detects CD-ROMs and automatically opens the CD tray for you.

6. McAfee VirusScan for Windows: This $65 antivirus package detects all virus types, including Word and Excel macros; boot-sector infections; and file, multipartite, stealth, polymorphic, and encrypted viruses.

7. Norton AntiVirus Update: This free virus-definition update for Symantec's antivirus package offers protection from new viruses, including Worm.ExploreZip, W32.Mypics.Worm, and W95.Babylonia.

8. Antiviral Toolkit Virus Encyclopedia: Wondering if your PC has caught a bug? Here's the place to find out: an encyclopedia containing thousands of computer virus descriptions as well as demonstrations of what some viruses can do. The download link takes you to a Web site where you can download a free evaluation version of the file.

9. Antivirus Practice Lab System: This free program lets you simulate virus infections on your PC, so you can learn how they operate. These infections cannot reproduce or damage your PC. The program is designed to increase your familiarity with viruses, train system administrators, and evaluate antivirus programs. Note: You should install an antivirus program before downloading and installing this program.

10. McAfee VirusScan Definition Files: This new release of data definition files for McAfee VirusScan includes protection from the ubiquitous Worm virus and more. This free file works with version 4.x of McAfee VirusScan.