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Email Virus
In general, a computer virus or worm is a self-replicating program capable of being spread by emails or by inserting copies of itself into other documents or programs. Viruses that spread via email are capable of knocking out systems burdened by the huge amounts of generated emails, thus causing severe headaches for individual users.
An email virus contains malicious code that is distributed in email messages. This code can be activated when a user clicks on a link in an email message, interacts with the infected email message or just opens an email attachment.
Types of Email Viruses
Email viruses are available in a wide range of forms, and malicious actors work nonstop to enhance their malicious email messages and methods for email hacking, as well as the accompanying malware.
- Macro viruses: These viruses are written in a macro language used by other software programs, particularly Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word macros. Macro malware is spread via phishing email messages containing malicious attachments, which comprise of the malicious macros.
- Spambot programs: These programs have been designed for harvesting email addresses in order to build mailing lists for sending spam. While spambot programs are not generally distributed via email, they are however instrumental in collecting valid email addresses to be used for the circulation of email viruses.
- Email spam: Also known as unsolicited or unwanted email, email spam mostly spreads malware via links in the message that lead to phishing websites or other sites hosting malware.
- Virus hoax email messages: These emails contain a false warning about a nonexistent threat and are considered to be a form of socially engineered email virus or worm. These messages could also instruct the recipient to take some action, which also includes forwarding the warning to all their contacts. One variant of the virus hoax email is known to build on the tech support phone scam, in which a malicious actor tries to engage the victim to defraud the victim.
How to Avoid Email Viruses
Given below are a few simple rules that can avoid being infected by viruses via email.
- Use a dedicated email service with strong virus filtering.
- Disable message preview in your email client, particularly on Windows platforms. Failing to do this will allow malicious programs attached to incoming messages to get executed automatically and infect your computer.
- Refrain from downloading all your emails to an email client unseen. Screen your email first and then delete unwanted and suspicious messages before downloading the genuine emails to your local email client.
- Maintain a number of independent email accounts. If a virus infects the only business email address you have then you will be in trouble. It is also recommended for you to maintain backups of your most important files and emails separately.
- Ignore or delete messages with attachments that appear to be sent from your email service.
- Take caution when opening media attachments and graphics, as it is possible for viruses to be disguised as such files.
- Always ensure to regularly update your antivirus software. Automatic updates are vital for effective virus protection. If you don’t have a good antivirus software capable of executing updates automatically and regularly, then go in for Comodo Antivirus.
Install Comodo Antivirus to Prevent Email Virus Attacks
Comodo Antivirus is available with remarkable security features making it one of the best antivirus software available in the IT security industry. This antivirus software will successfully protect your PC(s) against Trojan horses, viruses, spyware, backdoors, rootkits, worms, adware, and several other malware infections, also including the extremely dangerous zero-day threats.
Comodo’s cloud-based virus scanning technology is fast and it also auto-updates on its own to keep abreast of the very recent virus definitions. As an antivirus software that efficiently blocks email virus attacks, Comodo Antivirus is indeed considered to be the best because of the following reasons:
- Defense + technology protects your PC, 24/7
- Quarantines all suspicious files for a cleaner PC
- Automatic updates to facilitate the most recent version for virus protection
- Proactive “intelligent” protection intercepts unknown threats
- Easy to use interface with no false alarms or irritating pop-ups
Key security features offered by the Comodo Antivirus software includes:
- Containment
This technology backs the default deny approach by ‘restraining’ or ‘containing’ files and running them in separate environments, until they prove themselves to be harmless, without affecting your computer’s security. - Host Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS)
This system comprehensively monitors your PC(s) and prevents malicious attacks from entering it. It employs a ‘set of behavior analyzers’ to execute the search. - Default Deny Approach
This unique approach adopted by Comodo prevents all files by default from entering the system until they establish themselves to be harmless. - VirusScope
This technology is useful for local PC analysis and it helps PC users to undo malicious-looking changes which PC(s) could have recorded due to malicious actors. - Cloud-based Behavior Analysis – Valkyrie
The increase in zero-day malware has highlighted the need for a cloud-based behavior analysis system capable of keeping up with the latest malware. - Efficient Whitelisting
Comodo Antivirus software uses this feature to mark specific files as trustworthy and it gives them default access.
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