Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Tech Support Center offer in terms
of computer security?
This site is dedicated to helping students protect their machines
from viruses, spyware, and other unwanted aspects of the Internet. We provide
free software to students to help scan and clean their computers, as well as
keeping students updated on what sort of dangers are currently prowling out
there on the Web.
Where can I get virus scan software?
Right here. The
University provides FREE Symantec virus scan software to all students, staff
and faculty. This software will update itself regularly, so you never need
to worry about not being able to protect your computer from the latest virus
unleashed on the Net. All you need is your USD username and password to access
the download page.
What can give my computer a virus?
Unfortunately, viruses can infect your computer from nearly every
means of data transfer out there, such as floppy disks, CDs, instant messaging
systems, web pages or emails. Always check to see who you are receiving data
from. Just like when you were a kid, don't take candy from strangers. Remember:
it is always safest to trash all emails from an unknown address, but if you
choose to open the emails, ALWAYS refrain from downloading any attachments.
However, unknown addresses are not the only emails containing viruses. Even friends can send you a virus. One trick that viruses have adapted over time is to infect an email program such as Microsoft Outlook. It will then send out copies of itself using the email to everyone in that account's address book. It sends them with the person's email address, and without leaving a record of the email being sent. In other words, you might receive an email from your friend that they don't know they sent, that contains a virus.
For more information on virus e-mails, please see this tutorial.
How often should I run a virus scan?
How often you run it is up to you. Just remember, the more you
run your scan, the better protected your computer will be. Those who are really
paranoid about computer security can run the scan daily. For the rest of us,
once a week is usually sufficient to keep your computer clean. But if you are
ever worried your computer has a virus, run a scan immediately.
My computer is acting funny. Do I have a virus?
It's certainly a possibility. Viruses cause a wide variety of
problems on computers. Some cause errors to pop up, others can prevent you
from accessing programs or files. Trojan viruses, named after the famous horse,
are disguised as innocent files, but really give hackers or other viruses a
back door into your computer. There are also those that seem to do nothing,
but are actually programmed to cause havoc at a certain time and/or date.
As a rule of thumb in Computer Security: When in doubt, run a virus scan. While your problem could just be a glitch, it could be a virus.
Your computer may also be acting up due to Spyware. Try running Ad-Aware to see if your computer has been infected in this way.
I think I have a virus. What should I do?
If you think you have a virus, run a virus scan yourself. You
can find how to use the FREE Symantec scanner provided by ITS
here. If you find that the symptoms are persisting, try running
Ad-Aware to see if it is Spyware affecting your machine. If neither of
these work, contact Student Computing.
What is Spyware and how did it get on my computer?
Many students are unaware that their computers are infected with
Spyware and Adware agents that have secretly installed themselves onto their
hard drives. These agents have been created for advertising purposes, telling
marketers what users search for, what they download, what sites they visit,
etc., in order to send them pop-up advertisements that cater to their individual
interests. Not only is this an invasion of privacy and the cause of annoying
strings of pop-ups, but the affected computers may also become more susceptible
to hackers.
Most Spyware comes with other programs. For example, when you download something like Kazaa or other file sharing programs, they often come with Spyware that is installed along with program. Sometimes there are options allowing you to not install these programs with the originally downloaded program, but often times they are hidden "features" that get onto your computer without you even knowing it.
How do I remove Spyware from my computer?
In order to help you protect your computer from the hungry eyes
of advertisers, we have provided programs to remove these often overlooked
spying agents. We recommend Ad-Aware 6.0 for Spyware removal, but we also provide
HijackThis and SpyBot Search and Destroy for more advanced users. All of these
programs are available for download on the downloads
page. (Note: If you are unsure about what programs are Spyware, please
use Ad-Aware. The other two programs can remove not only Spyware, but also
components that are needed for your computer's internet connection to function
properly.)
You can find instructions on how to use these programs here on Security at the following pages:
For removal using Ad-Aware, click here.
Remember, you may not even know that your computer has been invaded. Take those extra few minutes out of your day and give your computer this extra degree of protection.
My Internet doesn't work.
While not technically a question, we at Tech Support Center get
this a lot. There are many reasons why your internet may not be working, and
you should contact Student Computing. But before you do, there is some basic
troubleshooting that you can do that will greatly aid the Student Computing
Tech who will help you. Make sure all your cables are connected and plugged
into the proper jacks on the wall. Trying using a roommate's jack if you can,
your jack could be bad. Also try restarting your computer and trying again.
There could also be some security related reasons as to why your internet connection is down. There is the possibility that your computer has a Spyware program. Some Spyware programs that are known to change your internet settings, preventing them from working on USD's network. Click here to learn more about Spyware.
Any information you can give the Tech Support Center Tech will help narrow down the possibilities and help resolve your problem faster. Who knows, you might just fix the problem yourself!
