Email Virus: When You Get Them and What to Do

On occasion, our customers may get an email notice forwarded to them by Thomas Group that looks like this:

 

This means an email virus that was detected in your inbox and/or computer.

But what does this mean? How did this happen? More importantly, how can it be prevented in the first place?

Email virus – what is it?

The term “email virus” defines a malicious code embedded into a message. Sometimes as a file, a link, or back code in the message, the virus infects the device it’s triggered on and starts to take action.

Email viruses come in several different types. Some are harmless and used for practical joking and inconvenience. Most are not so inspired, though. They rip through your files and steal information. For some, the virus spreads to other computers through your email contacts to continue its damaging growth. Others corrupt your entire technology base, rendering the device unusable.

But no matter what email virus you end up with, it’s bad news.

How do I prevent myself and my team from getting an email virus?

Plenty of resources online inform you of how to be proactive in preventing email viruses. However, choosing Thomas Guard serves as the simple answer.

Thomas Guard by Thomas Group monitors your emails and computers to ensure cybersecurity. If an email virus pops up on your computer, Thomas Guard removes the bad files from your technology. Then, we send you a message to inform you of the attempted intrusion.

Why send a message if the email virus is already taken care of?

First, we pledge to keep our customers informed of everything going on with their technology. For our customers, you need to know about virus detection so you can be more aware of it moving forward.

Second, when you attach a backup drive, The Guard scans that drive, too. Because of this, the message usually says, “Please check the drive and folder location. I want to be sure it goes away for good.”

Scanning the backup drive may not be instantaneous. If you plug it in, AppGuard scans it when your computer is idle. Then, if you unplug it, and the scanning stops.

Therefore, we want you to know that the file may still be in another place on the external drive. The example shown above below reflects this. This suspect file derives from a 4TB external backup drive.

AppGuard will find this file many times. Backups make many copies of the same file.

Pro Tip: Thomas Guard removes duplicates and frees up space. Just ask.