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| Computing Resources | |
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Computer
Security and Viruses
As computers have become increasingly more complex
and are very often interconnected via enterprise networks and the
Internet, they have become open to potential wrongdoing by malicious
intruders. These intruders, known as hackers or crackers, have developed
numerous methods of gaining control over some or all of a computer.
Using this capability these intruders gather unauthorized personal
and corporate information and/or use the system to spread and harm
additional computers. Often these intrusions take the form of computer "viruses",
programs written by hackers that exploit security holes in a computer
system. These viruses can in a worst case delete or propagate personal
information, allow intruders to remotely take control of a computer,
or cause other serious debilitation to the computer and the networks
that they are attached to. There are several important security practices that people can follow to minimize the possibility of a security breach to their computer.
Be wary of any email attachments,
even from co-workers and friends. Many viruses spread themselves by using psychological
tricks in an attempt to get a person fooled into thinking that an
email attachment is benign when it is not. Often these malicious
email attachments can be sent unknowingly from friends and co-workers
as their computers may already be infected. These emails often contain
‘Subject’ lines and content that make one think that the
attached files may be fun or useful once run. If you are uncertain
in any way about an email attachment that has been sent to you verify
its authenticity with the sender, either by a separate email describing
the received email or by a verbal conversation. Never open, run or view unsolicited
email attachments without verifying its content and validity. This is the safest way of dealing with any email attachments.
As stated above, verify the email and its attachment’s authenticity
with the sender, either by a separate email describing the received
email or by a verbal conversation. Be especially wary of any email
attachments with the following file extensions (see the ‘Disable
hidden filename extensions’ if your computer is not configured
to display file extensions): Don’t install or run programs
of unknown or unverified origin. The Internet has become a resource for downloading
programs for installation on a computer. However it is possible
for programs available for download to have malicious side effects
once installed on your computer. Do not install and run any software
from unknown origins as it may contain a virus or other computer
security breach. Ensure that Norton AntiVirus
is installed. Staff and faculty of the university should make certain
that Norton’s AntiVirus software is installed on their computers.
To do so check your Task Bar for the Norton AntiVirus icon If Norton AntiVirus is not installed on your computer,
contact the University Help Desk for additional assistance. When connecting to the university network with a computer
that is not the property of New School University, such as student’s
personal computer in a New School dorm or when accessing the New
School wireless network, an anti-virus software package from a company
such as Norton, McAfee or other reputable vendor should be installed
before hand. Ensure that anti-virus definitions
are up to date. Anti-virus software is of minimal effect if its virus
definitions are not kept up to date. The latest Norton virus definitions
are automatically installed on faculty and staff computers’
on a regular basis via the New School network. To find the date
of the virus definitions in Norton AntiVirus view the bottom right
hand panel from the main program screen once it is opened. The section
labeled ‘Virus Definition File’ will contain the date
of the most recent update. For those using software other than Norton AntiVirus,
regularly check the vendor’s website for the most recent virus
definition files. Run a virus check on a regular
basis. It is a good practice to regularly run a virus scan
of your computer to see if it has become infected with a virus.
A complete virus scan may be a time consuming process, sometimes
up to an hour, that while running may make your computer quite slow
or unusable. Due to this, it would be advisable to run the virus
scan at a time when your computer will not be in use, such as during
lunch or in the evening. Remember to lock and password protect any
computer that is left running unattended. To run a virus scan in Norton, select the ‘Scan
Computer’ icon on the left-hand side of Norton’s main
program screen. Disable hidden filename extensions. MS Windows has an option to "Hide file extensions
for known file types". With this option set a person cannot
see what type of file they are looking at in Windows Explorer or
in the email attachment pane of an email program. If this option
is enabled, a person cannot determine what type of file they are
interacting with, thus making it much more difficult to determine
if a file has the potential to harm a computer. To disable this feature, open Windows Explorer by
selecting Start->Programs->Windows Explorer (not your browser,
your file system viewer). When Explorer is open, select View->Options…
When the Options window opens, select the ‘Show All Files’
option. Also, make certain that the checkbox labeled ‘Hide
file extensions for known file types’ is not selected. Then
select the ‘OK’ button on the bottom part of this window. Follow safe password practices. Everyone knows how difficult it is to keep track of all of the various passwords one requires regularly, but selecting easy to remember passwords is not the answer. Choosing quality computer passwords for both login and any necessary application programs is very important. Changing those passwords on a regular basis is also an important component of password security. Some general guidelines for password security are:
Guard your personal information
with extreme caution Your personal information is extremely valuable and
it can be very easy for someone with access to this type of information
to use it against you. For instance, information such as social
security numbers, employee or student ID numbers, username and/or
password information and even your home/billing address information
can be used in very malicious ways to harm a person. Following the
same rules about receiving unsolicited emails applies here. Never
reveal any personal information about yourself to an unknown entity,
either by replying to an email requesting this information, responding
to an unsolicited phone call or by entering information in an unexpected
computer pop-up screen (a common AOL-style security threat). Verify
the authenticity of any person or organization prior to giving them
personal information about yourself if you feel that there is a
reason for them to have it. While viruses are a common security threat it is also
common to receive hoax warnings about supposed viruses that are
not real viruses at all. The danger about these messages is that
after receiving several of these ‘warnings’, a person
may be inclined not to treat a real virus warning with the necessary
degree of caution. Again, never open any email attachment from an
unsolicited source without verifying its content and authenticity.
If you feel that the email may be a hoax, attempt to verify this
at one of the virus hoax websites listed below. Keep up to date with new security
information. The Internet offers many resources for staying up to date with security information. The following websites all contain valuable information abut computer security. CERT® Coordination Center Symantec Security Response McAfee Virus Information Library Microsoft Security Center Apple MacOS Updates Symantec Virus Hoax Site McAfee Virus Hoax Site About’s AntiVirus Site |
) or from the Start Menu, select Start->Programs->Norton AntiVirus
Corporate Edition-> Norton AntiVirus Corporate Edition. To run
Norton AntiVirus from the Task Bar, right-click on the icon and
select ‘Open Norton AntiVirus…’. 
