Viruses

(adapted from CIS 178, Introduction to the Internet, by Art Schneider)

Computer viruses are a major downside to the computing experience. Their effects range from inconvenient to catastrophic. In an online learning environment, where file attachments are often shared, viruses have a good opportunity to proliferate. It is our policy to take every precaution to guard against viruses. Online students are required to have virus software and to keep it current.

Virus Prevention and Anti-virus Software Products

Virus Prevention. In this day and age it is extremely difficult to keep your computer system and data free of viruses. But you can go a long way to ensuring that you have at least taken the precautions to minimize your chances of getting infected. Remember, most viruses are harmless as long as they are caught and cleaned immediately. If you are careful, have current anti-virus software installed, know where your disks have been, and use common sense, then you will greatly reduce the likelihood of suffering a catastrophic loss due to a virus attack.

Definition of a Computer Virus - There are many definitions of computer viruses. Here is one:

´A computer virus is a parasitic program written intentionally to enter a computer without the user´s permission or knowledge. The word parasite is used because a virus attaches to files or boot sectors and replicates itself, thus continuing to spread. Though some viruses do little but replicate, others can cause serious damage or affect program and system performance. A virus should never be assumed harmless and left on a system.´

Anti-Virus Software. Below is a list of the popular anti-virus software companies. Most of these companies allow you to download free, trial versions of their software. It is important that you have up-to-date anti-virus software installed on your computer. If you do not have anti-virus software you should visit one of these sites below and download and install their trial software. If you already have anti-virus installed, you should make sure you have the most up-to-date version of that software. When the trial period has expired, you can then decide if you want to purchase it.

Important Note: If you are unsure about installing new software, you should ask someone who is knowledgeable to help you install your anti-virus software.