
Today, computer viruses are extremely common. Viruses infect documents, programs, email, and floppy disks. A virus scanner allows you to detect and often even clean these viruses before damage is done, or direct you to tools that can help you. Virus hoaxes are common, as well. An up-to-date virus scanner can give you the peace of mind that your system is as well-protected as possible, despite what hoax email that you may receive may say.
Please note that just installing a virus scanner does NOT protect you! You MUST download regular updates so your scanner can recognize new viruses. Most common virus scanners can be purchased with a built-in updater that checks the Internet for updates as often as you tell it to (we recommend weekly or even daily). Also, good habits regarding email attachments and disk-sharing are critical. For more information on this, please see the Security and Virus Protection Section of the LCS website.