Most computer owners feel a very false sense of security when they see virus-check icons pop onto their screen, a computer security specialist told Charleston residents Friday.

Several factors make virus scans ineffective and sometimes the manufacturers of security software are to blame, Mike Miller, managing partner of Viscon Networking Innovations, informed attendees of Friday’s luncheon, sponsored by the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce.

“Pitfalls to computer security are plentiful and right in front of our eyes,” he said, referring to outdated virus scanning programs.

Throughout the luncheon, titled “The ABCs of Computer Security and Virus Protection,” Miller shared the most common misconceptions that cause most of the damage he sees done to computers.

Miller says that the computer-networking industry has allotted more time and money than ever before to virus protection because of drastic increases in the amount of new viruses appearing daily.

“There were approximately 25,000 to 30,000 viruses introduced last year,” he said. “There have been 80,000 new viruses tagged so far this year.”

One major problem is that companies like Microsoft rush dozens of new products to market every month and many of them have multiple holes in security, he said.

“The urgency to have the latest tool on the market does not always allow adequate time for testing,” Miller said.

The fact that computer users trust that they have up-to-date software is another common reason he sees computers destroyed by viruses.

“You wouldn’t assume that your Windows 95 is the latest and most efficient version of Microsoft, but many people never question the effectiveness of the virus scan that came with their computer four years ago,” Miller said.

He advised the luncheon attendees that all users should become familiar with downloading updates for virus scan systems and do so every two to three weeks.

“As society does more and more by computer, it is safe to assume you are more open to viruses than someone was two years ago,” he said. “It is then practical to assume you will be more open to viruses in the next year or so than you are now, given the number of new and different viruses appearing regularly.

“A program that automatically checks e-mails and attachments is best,” he said.

A “buyer beware” note from Miller was that a lot of virus scans do not have an uninstall feature.

“This creates major problems when someone takes the initiative to update their software and tries to install something new,” he said. “They then have two systems trying to do the same thing, which ultimately ends in neither system doing anything right.”

Miller’s company is also scheduled to host an informational seminar in Charleston on March 7, and reservations are necessary.