How Can My Pc Become Infected With A Virus; Frequently Asked Questions About Internet Privacy - McAfee GUARD DOG 2 User Manual

Internet Security and Privacy

How can my PC become infected with a virus?

An important thing to keep in mind is that viruses are spread only when you
run an infected application (or open an infected document file, in the case of
macro viruses). A virus cannot travel over your telephone line and infect your
PC on its own. You must first download or copy an infected application and
then run the application in order to infect your PC with a virus.
That said, the only way to entirely avoid virus infection is to do
nothing—don't use the Internet; never download a file; never accept a diskette
from someone else; never share Word or Excel files. Of course, this draconian
"Robinson Crusoe" cure is unrealistic in today's computing environment,
where sharing data is the norm and accessing the Internet is an everyday
occurrence.
 NOTE: Guard Dog offers a virus scanner which is easy to use. It
Viruses are spread when infected diskettes are shared between PCs, and when
you download and run infected files from on-line services, bulletin boards, or
the Internet. Another potential (but remote) route for virus transmission is
when you access Web pages that use Microsoft ActiveX technology or Sun's
Java. Web pages that use ActiveX, for example, can automatically download
programs to your PC, and these programs might be infected with a virus.
Although there is no known case where ActiveX and Java have spread viruses,
there is still a possibility— remote as it may be—for your PC to encounter a
virus in this way.
A virus might be hidden in the next file you download, or on a diskette you
borrow —even diskettes purchased at a store. Downloaded shareware is also
a source of infection.
 NOTE: Although Java and ActiveX are not, strictly speaking, viruses

Frequently asked questions about Internet privacy

What information do Web sites collect about me?
Web sites collect information about you in two major ways.
68 McAfee Guard Dog
automatically scans your PC for signs of virus infection, and investigates
suspect files before they have a chance of infecting your PC.
(they can't spread and replicate), they can still harm your PC. Guard
Dog's default settings allow it to monitor all Java and ActiveX activity on
your PC, and warn you before something potentially dangerous occurs.