How to prevent a computer worm

A computer worm is designed to spread from computer to computer without your interaction. You might have heard of worms like Conficker, Sasser, and Blaster.

To help prevent getting infected by computer worms, follow these five steps:

1.	Keep your firewall turned on.
2.	Keep your operating system up-to-date with security updates.
3.	Use updated antivirus software from a trusted source.
4.	Use strong passwords, especially on your network.

Also, use caution before you open e-mail attachments, click links in e-mail, or before you accept file transfers.

Never open e-mail attachments from someone you don't know and avoid opening e-mail attachments from someone you do know, unless you are aware of exactly what the attachments are. The sender might not know that the attachment contains a worm.

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