Viruses
A program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your
knowledge and runs against your wishes. Viruses can also replicate themselves.
All computer viruses are manmade. A simple virus that can make a copy of itself
over and over again is relatively easy to produce. Even such a simple virus
is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and bring the
system to a halt. An even more dangerous type of virus is one capable of transmitting
itself across networks and bypassing security systems.
Some people distinguish between general viruses and worms. A worm is a special type of virus that can replicate itself and use memory, but cannot attach itself to other programs.
What can I do about Viruses?
For Students and Personal Computers
Make sure that your computer is protected with antivirus software, such as Norton, McAfee or AVG. It is recommended that your computer is scanned once a week and that your software is configured to look for new virus definitions from the software company that made it.
For Staff and Faculty
If you have a state tagged computer, please contact your GeoTeam Consultant (if you have one) or the IT Helpdesk for more information about Virus removal.