I've noticed increased spam and virus activity recently and wanted to take a few moments to focus your attention on practicing safe computing. Current Virus Threat Symantec Anti-virus is reporting that W32.Stration.DW@mm is a worm that spreads by emailing itself to other computers. It also drops a copy on to the compromised computer. Because it uses your address book to send the infection to other computers you might receive the virus from someone you know. It's classified as a "Medium" threat and easy to remove. It's even easier to prevent. Best Practices - Safe Computing Software Review your Anti-Virus, Firewall and Adware software.

• Are they installed?
• Are they up-to-date?
• Are the automatic update features turned on?

Hardware Windows 98 is no longer supported by Microsoft. Could a new computer be in your future? With Windows Vista delayed until 2007, manufacturers are offering great deals this holiday season. Sounds Like a case of "Plausable Justification" to me.) Liveware (That's you!) The best defense is your awareness and understanding of the threat.

• Get educated - use the links below to learn more about the issue
• Get ready - Create a game plan for prevention and response
• Get busy - Stay alert as you work your inbox

Additional Resources

• Symantec Security Response
• Zone Labs - SmartDefense Research Center
• PC Magazine - Security Watch
• Make Technology Work - How to Survive a Natural Disaster Here in St. Petersburg we like to think we live in paradise, but sometimes it's "Just Another Hurricane in Paradise"

A Reasonable Response to Online Security Threats You could eliminate the problem by pulling the plug on your computer, but then you wouldn't have a business to worry about. Short of that, what security tips do you use to practice safe computing? Click the comments link below to share your tips.