Several commercially available programs can help detect viruses and provide some degree of protection against them. However, if using such programs, be careful that they do not cause greater problems than they solve. Some anti-virus programs may warn of a suspected infection when none has actually taken place. Because of the differences in anti-virus packages, it is important to standardise testing procedures and analytical tools, so that results can be compared on a consistent basis. Unfortunately, malicious code is now an unpleasant fact. Computer viruses appear to be a long-term threat.

There are several anti-virus packages available:

Sophos Norton Utilities -marketed by Symantec Mcafee Those mentioned above are only the most popular, there are many more.

Computer systems and data should be continually updated to deal with the threat.

• An Anti-virus software package is useless if not updated regularly -even daily!!!