08 Apr 10 Understand How to Protect Outlook PST Data from Virus Attacks

One of the most common reasons for the Outlook PST file to become corrupted is due to malicious attacks or virus attacks. It is therefore vital that every Outlook user knows the steps that need to be taken to prevent the PST file from being infected by viruses and how to recover data from an infected PST file. The two most important methods that we will discuss here are (1) using effective anti-virus software and (2) using firewall software to protect your computer from harmful content on the Internet. We also look at what one needs to do if despite these security measures, the PST file does become corrupted and one needs to carry out an outlook recovery.

1. Using effective and current anti-virus software.

You should not only have effective anti-virus software installed on your computer, you should also make sure that it is the most current version. Most software will keep providing updates that include protection again the latest viruses, Trojans, worms and other malicious programs. The software will have a provision to carry out regular scans of your entire computer or of the locations that you specify. Further, it will scan all incoming mail messages, including attachments that more often than not are the source of all malicious attacks. If despite regular scanning, you suspect that your PST file has been infected, you should immediately scan the file and heal the infection. If the infection cannot be healed, you should immediately delete the corrupted file and using the back up copies of the PST file carry out an outlook recovery.

2. Using firewall software.

A firewall creates a protective barrier between your computer and content on the Internet that could potentially cause damage to your computer. A firewall could be in the form of hardware or software. A firewall is very effective in guarding the computer against not just virus attacks as mentioned earlier but also against users who have malicious intent. If you are connecting to the Internet directly through a cable or DSL modem then a firewall on your computer will be a very powerful tool. There should not be a problem using the same network connection that you use for your office network or office network to connect to the Internet. You should simply make sure that the firewall in such a case prevents access to any shared resources that may be being used on the office computer or home computer.

While you can effectively prevent virus infections or malicious attacks from damaging the Outlook PST file, there can still be many problems arising from software or hardware failures. This could again mean attempting an outlook recovery and trying to restore PST data from backup files. One easy alternative is to use third-party tools such as Advanced Outlook Repair from DataNumen for highly damaged PST files. Supporting integration with Windows Explorer, these tools make it very easy to restore entire batches of damaged PST files - even those running into a few terabytes. With a very high recovery rate, Advanced Outlook Repair is one of the most trusted Outlook PST data recovery tools around.