However, it was not from CERT, an antivirus software company, or the news that I received the first information about Melissa, which in turn enabled me to make sure I took precautions that might help prevent the spread of the virus to my computer. It wasn't long after Melissa was reported to antivirus manufacturers that word of the virus came across the se2600 mailing list. I was happy it did. Unless a user has completely isolated his computer from the outside world, no protection against computer viruses is complete and guaranteed. New viruses are released into the wild all the time, and a regular check for the latest updates from your antivirus vendor is a good idea.
Many vendors allow users to download the latest antivirus data files from their Web sites.
Be wary of e-mail attachments. Lots of cutesy programs and greetings get forwarded all over the Internet. If you receive an executable file via e-mail, scan it for viruses and trojan horses before you launch it. And only launch it if you're absolutely certain you can trust it. Even then it might be wise to make backups of all your critical data first.