High risk files

The most dangerous files types are:

.EXE, .COM, .XLS, .DOC, .MDB

Because they don't need any special conversion to infect a computer -- all they've got to do is run, or be opened, and the virus spreads. Trend Micro virus doctors estimate that 99% of all viruses are written for these file formats.

A list of possible virus carriers include:

EXE - (Executable file)

SYS - (Executable file)

COM - (Executable file)

DOC - (Microsoft Word)

DOT - (Microsoft Word)

XLS - (Microsoft Excel)

XLA - (Microsoft Excel)

XLT - (Microsoft Excel)

MDB - (Microsoft Access)

ZIP - (Compressed file, common in the USA)

ARJ - (Compressed file, common in the USA)

DRV - (Device driver)

0VL - (Windows overlay file)

BIN - (Common boot sector image file)

SCR - (Microsoft screen saver)

Most of these file formats, .drv, .ovl, and .bin, for example, are not dangerous in and of themselves; they must be converted in order to be executed.