These attacks take the form of viruses introduced to a computer system or of hackers, persons who work their way into a supposedly secure Web site to damage or destroy data. Both are insidious methods of causing other computer users to shake in their shoes, wondering what to do. So let's talk about each type of peril. I teach a seminar for library personnel about identifying, eradicating, and preventing viruses on their libraries' and their own personal computers. Programs cease to work that were fine yesterday.
Systems run out of memory.
Data files are damaged. Hard disks are reformatted. The so-called Love Bug virus wreaked havoc on computer systems worldwide in May of 2000, for instance, and one estimate counted the financial damage in the billions of dollars. That is only one of tens of thousands of viruses being circulated on the Internet. And contrary to what some Macintosh users claim, their computers are not immune to viruses, as is evidenced by a number of software programs available for Macs.