Whenever downloading from the Internet, you must be aware of the potential of importing a virus to your system. Viruses travel across the Internet, embedded in executable files. When the file is run, the virus emerges to wreak havoc on your system, usually doing extensive damage. Only executable files (i.e., program files) and word processing documents are prone to viruses, and these should be scanned with a commercial virus detection program before opening.
There are also several virus hoaxes floating about. Usually users are informed of a "rampant virus" through an e-mail message, warning them not to open a message with subject such-and-such because it will erase the hard drive. A well-known one of this
nature is the "Good Times Virus". This is a hoax because e-mail messages
are text files and can not carry viruses, but, beware of any attachments
sent with the message. Attachments can carry viruses and should be scanned
before opening. There is more information on these hoaxes at the following
sites:
http://www.drsolomon.com/vircen/
EFF "Hoaxes" Archive
http://www.eff.org/pub/Net_culture/Folklore/Hoaxes/
Good Times Virus Hoax
http://www.crcna.org/goodtimes.html
Internet Hoaxes by US Dept of Energy Computer Incident
http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html
Material found on the Internet is copyrighted. The copyright functions
in the same manner as for other written works--anyone who creates anything
on the Internet has the right to claim the work as his or her own. It is
considered plagiarism for others to use this work as their own without
permission or citation, unless the author gives explicit permission to
use the work either in part or in its entirety. Electronic mail and Usenet
newsgroup messages also fall under copyright rules. If you wish to read
more about copyright laws and issues of copyrights with respect to the
Internet, the following sites are informative:
http://www.vcu.edu/mdcweb/self-study/copy.html
Internet copyright
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