Bigelow's Virus Troubleshooting Pocket Reference (Pocket References (McGraw-Hill))

Computer viruses, by their nature, don't lend themselves to being talked about by the authors of books. They're not easily visible, they have no user interfaces, and all that most people want to know about them is how to get rid of them. Software handles detection and disinfection about as well as can be expected, while Web sites and e-mail disseminate news about emerging viruses extremely quickly. Nonetheless, Bigelow's Virus Troubleshooting Pocket Reference does a fine job of explaining viruses to the everyday reader. Author Ken Dunham leaves the detailed work of finding them to antivirus software and experienced system administrators, but he goes to some lengths to explain how various kinds of "malware" (viruses and software that are published maliciously) work, and explain policies and procedures that you can adopt to keep your PC or Mac safe from the bad guys.

Other than his annoying habit of capitalizing the phrase "In the Wild"--as in, that's where viruses are found--Dunham has a straightforward, easy-to-understand writing style. He's thoughtful, too, and goes well beyond the usual advice ("Make sure your antivirus software is up to date"). In a typical section, Dunham explains how to add lines to the HyperCard home stack to shut down some viruses that attack Macs that way. In another, he explains how a virus that's resident in the master boot record of a hard disk can survive even a reformatting procedure. --David Wall

Topics covered: Malicious software of all kinds, including macro viruses, e-mail attachment viruses, Trojan horses, worms, and others. Good computer hygiene gets lots of attention, including use of antivirus software; sections deal with detecting and removing viruses when they appear.