The Internet can be a pretty scary place. Every day we hear about websites being broken into or warnings about a new virus. Threats range from automated programs like worms, viruses and bots to targeted hacking. So what are the risks and what can you do to protect yourself?

Install anti-virus software and keep it updated
Anyone who uses the Internet should install good anti-virus software and update it often. Viruses are not new. One of the first broadly known viruses - ''Stoned'' (a.k.a. Marijuana) -- was discovered in 1988 and ''Melissa'', the first mass mailing virus, was discovered in March 1999.

There are many products on offer but two that I like are Vet Anti-Virus, which is an excellent Australian product that has stood the test of time and Sophos Anti-Virus, which also has an impressive track record. Sophos has recently set up a virus analysis lab in Sydney and can offer expert support. Both of these products allow you to update over the Internet and you can get the programs to do this automatically. Simply follow the instructions during the installation.

Anti-virus producers release their updates on a weekly, or even daily, basis. But don''t just rely on your anti-virus software - in between updates you may still be faced with the possibility of infection.

Watch out for attachments
Never open an attachment unless you are sure you know what it is and that it is clean - even if it has come to you from a friend. A friend is actually the most likely source of a virus as you will be in their address book and viruses spread by sending copies of themselves to everyone on a person''s mailing list.

Prevent the automatic launch of macros
As a rule of thumb it is best to prevent the automatic launch of macros in your applications. In Microsoft Office programs you can do this by going to the ''Tools'' menu, choosing ''Macro'', then ''Security''. Click on ''High'' or ''Medium'' as your security setting.

Most of the virus warnings you receive are hoaxes
Do not pass them on unless you are sure that the warning is genuine. Some people believe these emails are manually driven viruses - they depend on humans to spread them. You can spot a hoax by the following criteria:

• It claims to have come from a big company such as IBM or Microsoft
• It says there is no cure and it will ''destroy all your data instantly'' and/or ''kill your computer''
• It professes to be undetectable

A bit of common sense
All we need to do when we receive a warning email is apply a bit of logic. If you can detect a virus just by the subject line, then anti-virus software will be able to detect it too. People who write this software are pretty clever. If it kills every machine it touches, how does it spread? If it really was that serious, wouldn''t you have heard about it on the news? The Melissa virus was on the news in Australia within half a day of it first being discovered. (The marketing people at anti-virus software companies are pretty clever too.)

If you want to confirm a hoax, go to www.myths.com for the latest information. Remember that no genuine virus alert from a security expert will ever direct you to email everyone you know.

Worms and break-ins
Protection from these threats is in the hands of security experts and network administrators. As an end user there is little you can do if your service provider is not on the ball. While you can be alert and pay attention to warning bulletins, really your website is at the mercy of the hacker.

Costs in damage will be passed on to the customer
At the time of writing, the latest threat to websites running on Microsoft Web servers was the Code Red worm. This worm is of no particular threat to end users but it does degrade the performance of Web servers and the Internet because of the huge increase in traffic. The amount of money this worm is costing companies in Internet traffic must be in the millions. And sooner or later these costs will be passed on to the customer.

So viruses are a threat that can be managed by the end user with the help of regularly updated anti-virus software, regular back ups and a bit of common sense. The security of your website and the Internet are in the hands of professionals who are constantly weaving magic to keep out the bad guys and still provide you with easy access.

Regardless of risks, always ensure that your important documents are backed up and stored in a safe place (not on your hard drive). That way, no matter what you read in the paper, you will have peace of mind.

Linda Hamilton is the General Manager of Hotspace Technologies. She has more than ten years experience in the IT industry, with the last four and a half years directly involved in the Internet. Hotspace is a dedicated hosting company that provides robust and high quality business Web services.

Contact Linda Hamilton

Phone: 1800 810 885
Email: linda@hotspace.com.au
Website: www.hotspace.com.au