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Virus Infection, Patches, and Spyware…Oh My!
All machines connecting to the SJC network MUST have anti-virus software installed, running and updated regularly.
What does this mean?
Saint Joseph's College has entered into an agreement with Sophos to offer anti-virus software to all students to install on their personal computers. There will be no additional charge for the software and no other anti-virus package will be needed as long as you are a student attending Saint Joseph's College. You must remove the software when you leave or graduate from Saint Joseph's College.
If you wish to use Sophos ant-virus you must first uninstall any anti-virus software installed on your computer.
To install the anti-virus program please download the installer below:
You may also choose to use your own anti-virus software package. With either option, you must keep the software up to date.
What is a virus?
A computer virus is a type of program that can hide in the background
and copy itself from one computer to another by attaching itself to existing
programs, emails, or parts of an operating system. Some viruses erase
files and lock up your computer. Others infect executable code and try
to interfere with the computer’s operation. Mostly they try to spread
themselves in an attempt to infect other computers. Computers viruses
leave machines vulnerable to scans and attacks by hackers. Once a hacker
has access to your computer, he/she can use it to attack other computers
and to access personal information.
Is anti-virus software enough?
Of course, your anti-virus software can only offer one method of protection
to prevent your machine from becoming infected. You must be aware that
most viruses need to be executed to function. Many users unknowingly transmit
a virus by copying infected program files, opening an infected email attachment,
or by using an infected program or file downloaded from the internet.
This means you have to run the infected program or open the infected document
to allow the virus to spread.
So how do you protect yourself?
• Don’t open or forward emails and attachments from unknown
sources.
• Be cautious.
• Beware of email attachments that you are not expecting.
• Save files to a disk and scan them for viruses before you open
them.
• If you should receive an infected email, contact the sender and
let them know so they can fix the problem.
• Periodically scan your hard drive for virus infections.
Isn’t a firewall enough protection to
stop viruses?
Here at SJC we are behind a firewall that protects student and university
owned computers from outside attacks. However, the firewall cannot offer
protection if a virus is brought onto campus by an infected machine. Some
recent viruses were caught by simply connecting a computer to a network
where another computer was broadcasting a virus. Once these viruses are
on campus, they are a threat to every machine connected to the network
and to the integrity of the network itself.
What happens if I become infected?
If your computer becomes infected, you may be able to use your anti-virus software
to clean the infected files. Some viruses are very malicious and will
destroy your files. Some files may be fully recoverable or they may have
to be deleted. In the case of some of the nastier viruses, more drastic
measures may be required. You may need to reinstall your software or you
may need to reformat your hard drive and reinstall your operating system
as well as all your packaged software.
You may wish to visit your anti-virus software manufacturer’s website for detailed instructions and assistance in removing the infection. You can remove unnecessary programs or services from your computer by using the following utility, Stinger, which is available from McAfee at the following website:
http://vil.nai.com/VIL/stinger/
This is a free tool that is used to remove many virus infections.
What will SJC do in the case of an infected
computer?
If we detect suspicious activity on the network coming from your machine,
your computer may be immediately disconnected from the network. Any personal
computer found not to have anti-virus software installed or which is not
been kept up-to-date and has become infected, will be removed from the
network until the virus has been cleaned.
PATCHES:
Some viruses utilize security flaws and holes within the Windows operating
system. Anti-virus software may not protect your computer against these
types of infections. Microsoft periodically distributes critical updates
and patches from their website that help to correct and repair these flaws.
You should regularly check Microsoft’s website for these downloads
or set your machine to automatically check for you. All students are expected
to visit Microsoft Windows Update site regularly and
download any critical patches appropriate for their computer. The website
is available at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
SPYWARE:
If you begin to notice that your machine is running slower than normal,
you may have become infected with spyware. Anti-virus software won’t
stop them. They are not detected as viruses on the computer because the
anti-virus software sees them as legitimate programs.
What is spyware?
Spyware is a program that gets installed without the user’s knowledge.
It is often bundled with other “freeware” programs. Spyware
usually runs in the background while the user is innocently doing legitimate
computer work. These programs have been known to scan your hard drive,
snoop in other applications, change your default webpage, record internet
usage, transmit that record back “home” and even leave a backdoor
open for hackers to enter your computer. These programs have been known
to slowdown a computer, create illegal operation errors, cause programs
to crash and create havoc on the system they infect. Many peer-to-peer
networking software packages such as Kazaa, Morpheus,
and Limewire are notorious for having spyware bundled
with them. Once a hacker has access to your machine, they can use it to
attack other machines on the network.
One way to detect and remove them is to visit one of the following sites and obtain the free removal program they have available.
With either of these programs it is a good idea to view their on-line instructions on how to use the product so you will be familiar with keeping it updated it before running it on your system.
Remember you are responsible for any activity coming from your computer. If we suspect your machine is acting suspiciously, we may disconnect it from the network until you have the chance to repair the problem.
