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MacWorld 1996 July
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Macworld (1996-07).dmg
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Shareware Picks
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Disinfectant
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Disinfectant.rsrc
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STR#_208.txt
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1995-04-07
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before sending them out to be duplicated and distributed.
• If you sell software, please check your master disks for infections
software you receive.
distributing it. You should also, of course, run Disinfectant on all new
Mac community. Please carefully test all new software before
public domain and shareware software have a special responsibility to the
• Bulletin board operators and other people who maintain and distribute
WDEF virus for details.
recommend deleting the Desktop file if it exists. See the section about the
grant the “make changes” privilege on server root directories. We also
AppleShare server. To avoid these problems, administrators should never
• The WDEF virus can cause serious performance problems if it infects an
backup.
• Back up your servers frequently. Run Disinfectant just before each
server.
• Check all new software with Disinfectant before installing it on a
discussion in the “Special Features” section.
servers once per week. For more details on scanning servers, see the
files on the server disk. At Northwestern, we try to check all our
the only way to guarantee that Disinfectant will be able to scan all the
production and restart it using your Virus Tools or Disk Tools disk. This is
are uninfected. For best results, you should take the server out of
• Check server disks frequently with Disinfectant to make certain they
when it is possible.
write-protected folders, but you should make every attempt to do this
own file or folder, it is not always possible to put applications in
spread very rapidly. Since some applications insist on writing to their
protected by a protection INIT. This is one way in which viruses can
will in turn quickly infect any other Macs on the network which are not
infection to the application on the server. If it is a popular application, it
network which accesses the disk and uses the application might spread the
application is in a writable server folder, any infected Mac on the
not have the “Make Changes” privilege. On the other hand, if an
disks. Viruses cannot infect applications if they are in folders which do
• Try to put software in write-protected folders on AppleShare server
the section about the Preferences window for details.
• Consider creating a special “virus scanning station” in your lab. See
the application. Distribute printed copies of the Disinfectant manual.
against them. Give them copies of Disinfectant and teach them how to use
• Educate the people in your organization about viruses and how to protect
have discovered that students love to play with the start-up disks.
protection INIT is still installed and active on all your startup disks. We
that they are uninfected. Also check to make certain that the Disinfectant
• Check all your lab disks frequently with Disinfectant to make certain
• Install the Disinfectant protection INIT on all your lab startup disks.
make certain that their software is free from infection.
viruses. People who sell software also have a special responsibility to
share Macs, or share a Mac network, is a perfect breeding ground for
domain and shareware software. An environment where many people
networks, Mac laboratories, Mac bulletin boards, or collections of public
The remaining recommendations are for people who manage Mac
are clean.
backup. This has the added advantage that it makes certain your backups
One strategy which many people use is to do a full scan just before every
every once in a while will detect any such infections.
installed, it is possible for a virus to infect your hard drives. Doing a scan
start up from a floppy disk which does not have the Disinfectant INIT
just to make certain that they are still uninfected. For example, if you
You should, however, periodically do a full scan of all your hard drives
protection INIT do its job and trust it.
It is also not necessary to scan your hard drives frequently. Let the
before they can spread or cause any damage.
as you have the INIT properly installed, it will detect and block viruses
to scan all floppy disks before using them. This is a waste of time. As long
Macintosh. It is not necessary to scan all new software before using it or
For most people, this is all you have to do to protect your personal
offers an update service.
anti-viral product instead of Disinfectant. Purchase a product which
Disinfectant releases, we recommend that you use a commercial
do not have access to a reliable source of information about new
against known viruses and makes no attempt to detect new viruses. If you
viruses. This is particularly true of Disinfectant, which only protects
versions of anti-viral software are very often ineffective against new
• Keep your anti-viral software up-to-date. This is very important. Old
• Make periodic backups of your hard drive, at least once per week.
for a virus to infect files on a locked floppy.
a copy, and use the copy. Never unlock the original disk. It is impossible
new piece of software, immediately lock the disk on which it came, make
• Keep original software on locked floppies. Use copies. When you obtain a
a minute to install and it can save you much grief.
• If you do nothing else, religiously use the Disinfectant INIT. It only takes
viruses.
minutes per week to effectively protect your Macintosh against the known
should take the problem seriously. Using Disinfectant, it only takes a few
There is no need to panic over the current virus situation. However, you
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