that attachments purporting to be security updates from Microsoft or other vendors are hoaxes and should never be opened. Don't just go to a link included in an email. In particular, for anything where money is involved, e.g. your bank, eBay, PayPal, use a bookmark you have previously saved. Don't just follow a link in an unexpected message in an instant messaging client, even if it appears to come from someone on your friends list; malware is designed to exploit trust. Don't accept and use unsolicited media, e.g. DVDs, CDs (even disks on magazine covers have been known to contain malware) or USB memory sticks (and particularly not if you just happen to find one lying around somewhere) If you are doubtful about a disk, file or attachment, but think it may contain something you want, you can check it using your anti-virus software - this is not foolproof however, since the malware writers do their best to keep one jump ahead of the anti-virus/malware developers. Don't run programs or open documents (e.g. Word/Excel) whose origin you don't know. Some protection against macro viruses is offered by turning off macro execution in Word or Excel (keep the SHIFT key down when opening a document). If in doubt about any of the above, consult your local IT Support. Maintain regular backups of all the important material on your computer, in case you ever need to recover from a major malware infection or any other disaster. Virus/malware protection software (McAfee VirusScan, Virex