Another year has come and gone and so have a few viruses. Navidad, MTX and FunLove are some of the new viruses we've seen on our campus. According to McAfee's website 56,000 viruses exist in the wild today with hundreds more coming each month. They range from annoying to destructive. Since you don't know how a virus might affect your system, you should always be cautious. Due to increased access to Internet and e-mail, more and more people are being affect by viruses at an ever-increasing rate. These viruses can come from business associates, family members or friends who has your e-mail address in their address book. Some viruses follow legitimate e-mails sent to you. With these new viruses constantly coming out, now is a good time to protect your computer from infections.
There are two ways to protect your computer from viruses. The first is to use your best judgement. If you receive an attachment that looks suspicious DON'T OPEN IT! just delete it. Remember when Mom said "Don't take candy from strangers", well don't take e-mails from them either. When in doubt about an e-mail or attachment, just delete it. Mail can always be re-sent, but lost data is another story. If you must open an attachment don't ever double click to open it. Always use notepad or wordpad to open an attachment. If you're a GroupWise users, always right mouse click the attachment and select the view option to look at it. These methods allow you to view attachments without allowing Macro and VBS viruses to run.
The second way to protect your computer from viruses is to install anti-virus software and keep it current. Check the UND Computer Center web page for the latest news and updates. The anti-virus page is located at: http://www.und.nodak.edu/dept/CC/virus. McAfee Total Defense is the anti-virus software provided under the HECN software contract for Windows 95/98/2000/NT users. This software is free of charge to all UND faculty, staff and students. The anti-virus page provides instructions for Installing and Configuring McAfee Total Defense on your computer. There are also instructions for Auto-Updates, to keep the software current, and additional downloads and notes to assist if you get infected.
No matter how sophisticated the viruses get or how good the anti-virus software is, you are still the best defense for your computer. Use your best judgement, if an e-mail or attachment doesn't seem right get rid of it. Plan ahead by backing up important files on floppies, zip drives or other storage devices on a regular basis. This will make it easier to replace files that might be wiped out by a virus.
Remember you are not alone in this battle. The UND Computer Center is staffed and equipped to assist you. If you think a virus was sent to you or think you might be infected or have any questions on your anti-virus software contact us. The UND Help Center can be reached at 777-2222 or cc_helpdesk@mail.und.nodak.edu.