Case Study: A Small Business Owner's Message to the Creators of Computer Viruses

Twenty years ago when teenagers were bored, they might TP (toilet paper) a neighbor's tree, throw water balloons or hang out and play radios too loud. This affected those in their immediate vicinity, usually with no economic cost attached.

Nowadays, a bored teenager can bring corporate America to its knees with a few clicks of a mouse. The cost to the economy is measured in millions, if not billions, of dollars. And who bears the brunt of this - small businesses that are trying to hang on in a sagging economy.

A few years ago, I got hit with the Sobig.F virus. This particular virus sent emails to all the addresses on recipient's computers. If your computer was infected, you had to download fix-it software to remove it.

In a TechNewsWorld article, Jay Lyman quoted McAfee Avert virus research engineer Craig Schmuger as saying, ". . . the worm was challenging small businesses without the IT staff to manage and secure systems."

I was a real, live example of the small business owner he was referring to. You see, in my business I do everything from designing my web sites, to writing the content, to maintaining them. However, I am NOT a computer repair expert. I don't have an IT department to call when something goes wrong.

So, when the virus hit my computer, I had to stop what I was doing; figure out whom to call; and implement fix-it measures. All of this cost time, resulting in lost productivity (hence, lost revenue).

Because this virus sent huge files, it took up a lot of space on my system, possibly not allowing pertinent messages to get through. This wasted my company's resources.

Further, because the virus sent e-mails to others making it appear as if they came from my company, I got angry e-mails from recipients accusing my company of spam. Hence, it damaged my company's image.