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Knowing how to identify various file extensions can be an important part of keeping your computer safe and secure from harmful programs and viruses. A file extension is the small suffix at the end of a file name that tells your operating system which format the file is saved in, so that it can automatically open it in the correct program for you. There are two main types of files that you can access in your computer, and how you handle these files can make a vast difference to the security of your system.

· Executable files – these files open and run automatically and can perform a range of functions without the users knowledge or interaction.
· Data files – these are simply information files, which are stored in your system. They can be images or text, basically anything that doesn’t perform an active function. Data files need to be specially coded so that your computer can save and understand them, and they cannot perform any functions on their own.

In terms of security, it is important you identify between these two types of files. Executable files can run independently and without your knowledge, so these types are files are most likely to contain viruses and harmful programs. Data files are simple storage files, and so are less likely to contain any harmful information. Every time someone sends you an attachment by email, you should be checking the file extension before you consider opening it. Safe files are generally those data files that relate to a particular image/text data storage program such as:
· TXT – simple txt file
· MP3 – music file
· JPG /BMP/GIF – image files

Executable file name extensions are not generally related to particular programs and will appear in various extensions such as:
· EXE
· SCR
· PIF

For example if you receive an email attachment with a file extension EXE, you know that this is not simply a data file, and might contain an executable program that could run a virus or some kind of malicious software once you open it. If the file extension is TXT, you know that it is likely to be a simple text data file without any additional active functions, and so should be safe to open.

Some hackers get around this security measure by imbedding malicious software into safer file extensions such as DOC. This means that it is important to run a virus scan on all incoming attachments, just to make sure each one it absolutely safe before you open it.

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