Ever been tempted to open an email whose subject is “cute little puppies”�? I mean, doesn’t everyone like to see a cute puppy now and then? Chances are unless you know the person sending you that email, those cute puppies are just to lure you into opening a virus-infected file, heck even if you know them it does not mean the attachments is safe. Most viruses these days have an email engine in them and can email everyone in an address book to spread them and wreak havoc.

Most virus writers appeal to our emotions or social conscious when trying to spread their malicious software. Viruses are often disguised as, or come attached to appealing audio, video or text files. In many cases the email will even be sent through a person you know, if the virus has replicated itself through emailing everyone in their address book. If the subject line is clever enough, virus writers know you will open it, even against your better judgment. I know I’ve opened a few files that practically screamed virus at me, but some uncontrollable impulse made me do it. It is that type of human predictability that virus writers thrive on.

Most successful and fast-replicating e-mail viruses rely on social engineering. You might be promised tickets to the Super Bowl, or be beckoned to feed a starving orphan in Ethiopia. Even more cleverly and subtly, an infected message might imply that your last e-mail wasn’t properly sent (which happened with the Sober virus in 2005), causing you to open the message to see why and “bam!” It’s all over, you’ve been infected.

Some viruses are also designed to seep through security holes or flaws in Microsoft programs. Whether it’s Windows or Word, no program is perfect. Virus writers identify these tiny openings, and create viruses to attack at these points of entry. Microsoft constantly searches for defects in its software, and whenever one is found, they formulate a patch to fix it. These patches are available as updates on Microsoft’s Web site. If you have Auto-update configured on your computer, these patches will be downloaded automatically. If not, you must search for and download them yourself.

The moral of the story is:

• Virus writers are nastily crafty folks who know what to say to get you to open their files.
• Beware of suspicious or unusual email subject lines.
• Be extra cautious when opening attachments, even from people you know.
• Always have email-attachment scanning enabled on your email program. Most Webmail programs do it automatically.
• Be diligent about downloading security patches when they become available.
• Get help if the situation gets out of hand.