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Anti-Virus Information
A computer virus is a computer program that may attack a computer in various ways: duplicates itself, damages data files, damages program files, and damage the whole system. Some viruses might simply be a joke, but they bring unpleasant experience to a computer user. A virus attaches itself to another program (usually an .exe file, although there are many others). When that program is executed, it begins to perform malicious functions to the computer.
In addition to computer viruses, there are "worms." A worm is a computer program that is similar to a virus, because it can cause a lot of damage to computers. However, a worm can make copies of itself and spread entirely on its own. By doing this, it uses up network resources and affects computer systems.
A computer could possibly be infected by viruses and worms through downloading files and programs from the network, using virus affected floppy or zip disks, or even installing new computer programs. We can protect our computers by installing anti-virus programs, write-protecting the boot disk, write-protecting important data disks.
Sometimes, however, people hear about a "virus" or a "worm" in virus hoaxes - typically an e-mail message that gives warning for a "virus" that doesn't exist at all. Computer resources will be wasted and unnecessary worry will occur if people spread these virus hoaxes.
Anti-Virus Software
Students must run an antivirus program to protect their computers before they can connect to the Internet.
A wide variety of products are permitted for use on our network, although CNS does not support any product line outside of Symantec's Corporate Edition (see details below) and the Symantec Norton Antivirus product for consumers. Users of alternative vendors should seek support from the vendor. The following products will be permitted, and more information about those products can be found at the vendor's web site:
Note: Trial versions of these products are often included with new computers. These versions often expire after 30-90 days, and therefore are NOT sufficient for use at Muskingum. If you wish to use these products, they must be registered and subscribed to before they expire or network services will be disconnected automatically.
If there are questions, concerns, or special accomodations regarding
this policy, please contact CNS
at 740-826-8050 for more information,
or visit the CNS ResNet site at http://www.muskingum.edu/home/cns/resnet/.
Virus
Protection Service
CNS offers virus protection software (Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition) and virus definition
updates to any registered computer without antivirus protection.
This software is provided as a download during the registration process. Should you get a virus that the
software does not detect or remove, system
cleaning can be provided at no
cost to you by your RCA (Residential
Computing Assistant).
Remember that systems detected with viruses and not cleaned will
be disconnected from our campus network until that system has been
cleaned of all viruses.
Spyware Software
Spyware programs on your computer may be tracking what you do on your computer and on the network. They may also be the cause of the pop-up ads you are seeing on your computer and additional junk e-mail that you receive as well as extremely slow behavior of your computer.
Ad-Aware is an application that can detect
and remove many of these programs.
Ad-Aware is not a pop-up blocker,
so having Ad-Aware on your computer
will not stop pop-ups that appear
as you surf the net. However, it
has the ability to remove the programs
that generate those pop-ups even
when you're not surfing the web.
It also removes the applications
that can cause your Internet access
to go to inappropriate sites, changes
your homepage, installs unwanted
search toolbars, and also reduce/resolve
many types of system crashes. For
more information, please visit
our Ad-Aware
Information page.
Microsoft Windows Defender is another product with extremely high detection rates and also offers a real-time protection service that stops spyware before it infects your system and can be scheduled to run protective scans periodically. It is highly recommended by CNS, and more information can be found on our Windows Defender Information page.
Several alternative spyware products are available and offer suitable protection, however, only the following are approved by CNS as being safe and effective:
More Anti-Virus Information
Online Virus and Hoax Encyclopedia (Symantec Corporation)
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/vinfodb.html
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