Viruses and Worms
Anti-Virus Software
In today’s environment of constant attacks, it is very important to have an updated anti-virus client on your computer whether you have a PC or a Mac. CC-owned computers all have Microsoft Forefront installed and centrally managed if they are PCs, and Symantec AntiVirus if they are Macs.
For your personally owned computer, we recommend using a free antivirus program – you can download and install them on your computer for no charge, and there are many different varieties. At the moment, we recommend the following:
For windows PCs: MSE (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials)
For Macs: ClamXAV (http://clamxav.com)
Email Viruses
As a rule, you should not open email attachments from anyone (even friends) unless you either were expecting the attachment or can first perform a virus scan on it. Sometimes, though infrequently, even just opening an email message can trigger a virus. Delete suspicious messages immediately – don’t try to save them or forward them. Many new email viruses use the rather nasty trick of “spoofing” the reply address, meaning they fake who really sent the message. You might get a virus message that looks like it came from a friend, or your friend might get a virus that looks like it came from you, without either of you having actually sent it. Because Colorado College employs three levels of virus protection (FOPE, which filters viruses before they reach campus; virus protection loaded on our on-campus servers; an antivirus program loaded and updated on your personal computer), it’s very unlikely that you actually sent a virus out.
Finally, to check the authenticity of a virus warning (many warnings, like the jdbgmgr.exe message, are just hoaxes), check Symantec’s online virus database at:
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/vinfodb.html
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