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Net Q & A
Question of the Month: September 2002
What is the Klez virus and how can I avoid it?
Answer
Klez is a particularly infectious virus that may be the most prolific in the history of the Internet. It spreads rapidly because it uses "social engineering" techniques, including making it appear that it was sent by someone you know, through using addresses found on victim's hard drives as both targets and apparent senders of infection.
There are multiple Klez variants, making prevention more difficult.
A September PC World article provides the following suggestions for protecting yourself against Klez and other viruses:
 | Regularly update your antivirus software. |
| Install the latest IE and Outlook/Outlook Express
security patches. |
| Look for messages with attachments that range in size
between 110KB and 150KB. |
| Watch for odd subject lines that are atypical of those you
normally receive. |
| Use a product such as SpamKiller to screen your mail and make deleting suspicious notes easier. |
Some people say that the solution to the virus problem is "cracking down" on those who create and distribute viruses. There is nothing wrong with harsh treatment of such miscreants. However, the Klez virus illustrates the limits of this approach. The creators frequently can't be found. The long-range solution is for users to patronize manufacturers who provide safer software.
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Send us your questions. We'll select the best each month and answer it here. On request, questions will be edited to conceal the questioner's identity.
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This page last revised: August 31, 2002.