Viruses

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Contrary to myths and legends you may have heard, you cannot infect your computer with a computer virus by reading e-mail. E-mail is text-only, as I mentioned earlier in the chapter, and viruses are binary.

However, if you receive a binary file attached to an e-mail, it may contain a virus. Viruses reside in only a few types of files, however�executable programs (which usually end in .bat, .com, or .exe) and a few types of data files that can contain macros (Word for Windows and Excel files). If the file you receive is not one of those types, the chances of it containing a harmful virus are slim-to-none.

If you receive an executable file or a Word or Excel file from an unknown source, do not run it until you have checked it for viruses using a reputable virus protection program such as McAffee AntiVirus or Norton AntiVirus. It is good practice for anyone using the Internet and downloading files to own one of these virus protection programs and keep it updated regularly with the latest virus information.