Bugged by viruses?

Internet security should concern all lawyers. Recently, stories about individuals, corporations, and law firms that have been the victims of computer viruses or hackers have been featured extensively in the media. For example, this past election day, a Democrat hacked the Republican National Committee Web page and replaced its text with an endorsement for Al Gore.(1) Microsoft Corp. has also been a victim. Last November, a 15-year-old hacked into its server twice in one week.(2)

If you think you won't be the victim of viruses or hackers, you are wrong. To learn how to protect your computer from unauthorized access and prevent damage to the confidential information on your computer's hard drive, it is important to understand computer viruses, worms, Trojan horse programs, and time bombs.

A virus is a computer program that attaches itself to a file, reproduces, and spreads from one file to another.(3) A virus "infects" your computer hard drive by duplicating and inserting itself into files. Viruses can cause significant damage, including deleting files and damaging the computer's boot sector, which will completely disable your computer.

Your computer can become infected with a virus when you insert an infected diskette or CD-ROM, open an infected email attachment, open an infected mail message, or download an infected file from the Internet. Because viruses can be so destructive, it is imperative that you take measures to protect confidential information.

The term "virus" can refer to any number of malicious programs, but viruses usually fit into various categories.

Macro virus. A macro virus infects documents you have created and saved to your computer's hard drive. Many attorneys use macros in their word-processing documents to save time. According to one reference source, "A macro is essentially a miniature program that usually contains legitimate instructions to automate document production."(4)

Problems arise when hackers create destructive macros, attach them to files, and distribute them via the Internet or infected disks. If you receive a document containing a macro virus and open it, you will activate the virus and spread it to your other documents.(5)

Worm. A worm usually enters your computer system via an e-mail attachment. Often, a worm is disguised in an email message as a joke. Once the worm is on your system, it duplicates itself, fills up your computer's storage space, and slows the computer's processing time. Further problems are caused when the duplicated copies of the worm use your e-mail system to infect other people's computers.(6) Worms differ from viruses in that worms do not modify programs on a computer.

The infamous Melissa "virus" that plagued people in March 1999 and caused an estimated $80 million in damages was actually a worm. It appeared as an e-mail message that contained a Microsoft Word attachment that was supposed to be a resume. When the user opened the attachment, the Melissa worm e-mailed a copy of itself to every address listing in the user's Microsoft Outlook address book. The Melissa worm also created two copies of itself and saved them to the user's hard drive. When the unsuspecting user closed the infected attachment, critical computer files were destroyed.(7)

In May 2000, the LOVELETTER or ILOVEYOU worm plagued many Internet users and wreaked havoc at many law firms and corporations. Just like the Melissa worm, the ILOVEYOU worm was attached to an e-mail message with a subject line reading "ILOVEYOU." Once the user opened the attachment, the worm duplicated and spread itself to other computers by e-mailing copies of itself to every listing in the user's address book.

One attorney interviewed for this article said that when he received the e-mail with "ILOVEYOU" in the subject line, he opened the message because he thought it was from his wife. However, he soon learned that he had just infected his computer with the ILOVEYOU worm. Many of his files were damaged, and the attorney lost critical evidentiary material. Luckily, he had recently backed up his computer files, so he did not permanently lose data.

Trojan horse. This type of virus can arrive via e-mail or by an infected diskette or CD-ROM. A Trojan horse is usually disguised as a software program, a screen saver, or a game. When you open the program, it compromises the security of the information stored on your hard drive. Once the Trojan horse has planted itself in your computer, it gathers and sends your confidential information to its creator. By using this technique, hackers can get a great deal of confidential information from your computer, including passwords, credit card information, and financial records.(8)

These viruses are quite common. According to the Privacy Software Corp., a Trojan horse called Deep Throat is "becoming widespread and proliferating rapidly in both home and institutional environments."(9)

Time bomb. Time bombs are usually carried by Trojan horses or other types of viruses. A time bomb is different from most viruses because it is usually not activated right away. It can remain undetected on your system for any length of time. The time bomb is often set to be triggered on a particular date. One example is the Michelangelo virus, which was discovered in 1991 and was scheduled to do its damage annually on March 6, the anniversary of Michelangelo's birthday.(10) When the time bomb struck, it damaged computers' master boot records and hard disks. Although the media predicted that millions of computers would be damaged, only about 10,000 to 20,000 computers were actually damaged.(11)

Logic bomb. A logic bomb is similar to a time bomb, except it is activated by the appearance or disappearance of particular data. For example, a hacker can create one to activate when something in a particular document is changed.

Hackers

Hackers are people who find ways to get around a computer's security system and access confidential information. The risk of becoming the victim of a hacker is on the rise, especially with recent advances in technology.

While many law firms are installing digital subscriber link (DSL) lines in their offices to speed up the time it takes to access the Internet, most people do not realize that DSL lines increase the risk of becoming a victim of a hacker. This is because the lines are "always on," and the user does not have to log on and off the Internet as is done with a regular dial-up connection.

As one commentator noted,

   Always-on connections to the Net are rather like leaving your door open to
   every passerby. Why? Because always-on connections assign you a permanent
   Internet Protocol (IP) address so you are findable. Dial-up connections
   give you a different IP address each time you log on.... It's the
   difference between having a permanent address and moving from hotel to
   hotel every day.(12)

Prevention

There are many inexpensive and simple measures attorneys can take to protect their computers from malicious programs and hackers.

Install virus protection software. This is. the main way you can protect confidential information from computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. By making this small financial investment, you can protect your computer from infected diskettes, contaminated CD-ROMs, and harmful e-mail attachments, and reduce the costs that may result from unexpected assaults on your computer systems.

Once you install the antivirus program, you can set the protection level to your own preferences. For example, if you want the program to run in the background while you are using your computer, it will scan incoming e-mail, file attachments, and diskettes and alert you if it detects a virus.

If you want to learn more about virus protection software before purchasing a product, visit http://www.mcafee.com/or http://www.symantec.com/. Because these vendor sites want you to purchase their programs, they will analyze your computer for free to determine whether it is at high risk for viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other types of malicious programs.

You can also visit http://housecall. antivirus.com/, where you can request a free virus scan of your computer.

If you decide to buy a virus protection program, you will be able to update it for free for a certain period of time. Since new viruses, worms, and Trojan horses are created every day, updating your program is critical to maintaining the security of your system. Although some people recommend updating your antivirus software on a monthly basis, attorneys are better off doing it weekly to be protected from new viruses.

Another security tool is a firewall program, which will protect your network from hackers.(13) Firewalls filter traffic in an attempt to make a personal computer "invisible" to hackers.(14) Attorneys can get personal firewall programs for little or no cost.(15) Many of these programs offer features that update your program on a regular basis to fully protect your system.

You may also consider purchasing bundled versions of the security software, which include both antivirus and firewall programs. Bundled security programs are usually less expensive than programs purchased separately. Many users find Symantec's Norton Internet Security 2000 invaluable because it protects PCs from viruses and hacker intrusions for a nominal cost.

Back up data. Backing up your files is critical to maintaining confidentiality and limiting the damage resulting from unauthorized access to your computer. In the past, attorneys had to rely on tape backups, jazz drives, or zip drives. These methods were cumbersome and time consuming and required special diskettes or tapes. Moreover, once the files were backed up to a jazz or zip drive, it was inconvenient to reinstall the files to another computer unless that computer also had a jazz or zip drive.

These problems have been eliminated with the advent of the rewritable CD-ROM, which makes backing up critical files a simple process that takes relatively little time. Furthermore, once the files have been backed up to a CD-ROM, it is easy to reinstall these files to any computer that has a CD-ROM drive. Rewritable CD-ROMs have been on the market for some time. Their price has dropped, making them an affordable tool for many sole practitioners and small law firms.(16)

By backing up the information on your computer weekly, your important files will be saved even if your computer becomes a virus victim. Although backing up files on a daily basis is better, many attorneys find this too time consuming. A realistic solution is to designate a certain day and time each week to perform routine backups. Of course, certain critical information should be backed up on a daily basis.

Delete unexpected e-mail that contains attachments. To avoid infecting your computer with viruses, do not open unexpected e-mail that contains attachments, even from someone you know. Since viruses are activated when you open the attachment, the safest thing to do is to delete the e-mail.

However, if you do not want to delete the message, you can call the sender to verify whether that person did indeed send you the attachment. This is what many lawyers did at the time of the ILOVEYOU virus outbreak. Calling was an obvious choice in this situation, because many lawyers thought it odd that clients sent them amorous e-mail.

Sometimes calling an e-mail sender is not an option. For instance, a sender may attach a document to a message without knowing that it is infected. Since this is a possibility, you should use an antivirus program that is set up to scan all incoming e-mail for viruses. If you don't have an antivirus program on your PC, you may want to use an e-mail service like Yahoo! that scans for viruses automatically.

Use a separate computer for Internet access. Because computers are less expensive today than they have been, you might want to buy a separate PC and use it only for Internet access. Even if a virus attacks this computer, you will not suffer much damage because critical files and confidential documents are on another computer. If you need to transfer documents from your "Internet only" computer to your other computer, scan the files for viruses first.

Use passwords. Another way to protect confidential information is to use passwords so only authorized people can access particular files. When selecting your passwords, keep in mind the following tips.

* Use at least five characters to make it more difficult for hackers to learn your password, enabling them to gain access to your computer. Using five or more letters or numbers increases the possible combinations that can be created.

* Don't create passwords that include personal information, such as your Social Security number, your birthday, or the name of your spouse. Doing so makes it easy for someone to guess your password.

* Don't use the same password for everything. Because remembering multiple passwords is difficult, you may want to create a password log and keep it in a safe place.

* If other people, such as paralegals, secretaries, and law clerks, can access your computer, you may want to use the screensaver password feature in Windows. Putting a password on your screen saver will prevent unauthorized users in your firm from snooping on your PC.

By using common sense, you can avoid becoming the victim of a computer virus, worm, Trojan horse, or hacker. If you can't implement everything in this article, at least remember these critical points: Buy an antivirus program and update it weekly, and back up your files weekly. Doing this will save time, money, and headaches that will surely be created if your computer is attacked.

Notes

(1.) Carrie Kirby, Hacking with a Conscience Is a New Trend, SAN FRANCISCO CHRON., Nov. 20, 2000, at D1.

(2.) Joris Evers, Microsoft, Hacker Meet, Computerworld, at http://www.computerworld.com/cwi/ stories/0,1199,NAV47-68-84-88-93_STO54392,00.html (last visited Nov. 29, 2000).

(3.) JUNE JAMRICH PARSONS & DAN OJA, NEW PERSPECTIVES ON COMPUTER CONCEPTS, 9.7 (3d ed. 1998).

(4.) Id. at 9.8.

(5.) Id.

(6.) Id. at 9.10-9.11.

(7.) For more about the Melissa worm, visit http:// www.sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/w97m.melissa.bg. html.

(8.) To learn how to protect your computer from Trojan horses, visit http://www.nsclean.com, http://www.mcafee.com, or http://www.symantec.com/.

(9.) Privacy Software Corp., Privacy Software Corporation Security Advisory, at http://www.nsclean. com/psc-dt.html (last visited Oct. 24, 2000).

(10.) Id.

(11.) The Worldwide Michelangelo Virus Scare of 1992, at http://vmyths.com/fas/fas_inc/incl.cfm (last visited Nov. 29, 2000).

(12.) Sandra Rosenzweig, Firewalls for the Tech Impaired, CAL. LAW., Sept. 2000, at 61.

(13.) More information about firewall programs is available on the Internet. Find out about Symantec's Norton Internet Security at http://www.symantec. com/sabu/nis/index.html; Lockdown 2000 at http://lockdown2000.com/Lockdown2000.html; and Black Ice Defender at http://advice.networkice. com/html/products.html.

(14.) Mark Gibbs, They Really Are Out to Get You, CAL. REAL EST., Nov./Dec. 2000, at 14.

(15.) To learn more, go to www.networkice.com, www.opendoor.com, or www.zonelabs.com.

(16.) For information on rewriteable CD-ROMs, visit the Hewlett-Packard Web site located at http://www.hp.com.

Althea T. Kippes practices law in San Francisco. The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not constitute an endorsement of any product by TRIAL or ATLA.