Shooting the Breeze: Sasser the latest worm
THE latest virus to hit the news has actually gained some serious notoriety by downing English Coastguard computers.
Sasser is the name attached to a new and virulent worm virus which is making its way around the internet.
Like Nimda, Blaster, Mydoom, Netsky, and others before it, Sasser is another threat to your computer.
Reports of Sasser affecting crucial computer systems around the world have cropped up a lot in the last few days - the Coastguard is one of the most high profile victims of this worm virus which causes Windows computer to shut down seemingly at random.
The solution is simple and is wheeled out by computer experts all the time.
1. Keep your antivirus software up to date. I recommend Norton Antivirus.
2. Ensure that your Firewall software is switched on and configured correctly. Windows XP has a reasonable firewall but 3rd party products such as the Norton's Personal Firewall are much better.
You could purchase Norton Antivirus and Norton Firewall as part of a package called Norton Internet Security which includes Anti-spam and Pop-up blocking software.
3. Keep your Windows software up to date using Windows Update from the Start menu. Most viruses and worms exploit security holes in Microsoft's software. The best way to keep up to date efficiently is to be online with broadband.
4. Maintain backups of your important data, just in case the worst happens.
- Check out the virus hot topic on the BBC.
