What to do if your college computer detects a malware, spyware or a virus.
1. Immediately unplug the CAT5 (network) cable from your computer or if you are using a wireless network, turn off your wireless adapter.
2. Open the Symantec End Point Protection program. (Double click on the gold shield in the lower right hand corner of your taskbar)
3. Click on View Quarantine; if you see a threat in Quarantine or even if you don’t see a threat in Quarantine – call the college’s IT staff at 031 or 038 as soon as possible and tell them what has happened and what you have done to this point.
4. Follow the instructions given to you by the college’s IT staff.
5. DO NOT shutdown or log off your computer until the college’s IT staff has given you the okay to do so.
6. DO NOT plug the CAT5 (network) cable back into your computer or turn your wireless adapter back on until the college’s IT staff has given you the okay to do so.
7. Once the threat(s) have been identified and successfully resolved by the college’s IT staff, they will re-connect your computer to the network and you may resume normal use.
Five Tips for Spotting the Signs of Malware,
Spyware and Viruses
Jody Gilbert,
Senior Editor, Tech Republic
September 10, 2010
If you’ve ever experienced a malware infection, you know what a hassle they can be. Cleaning your PC of these infections as quickly as possible will help ensure that the malware doesn’t do any more damage or infect another machine. These tips should go a long way to help you recognize the symptoms of a malware infection.
1: Software
This is the most obvious
method. Tons of anti-malware applications are available, and
the choice is as subjective as your choice of antivirus
software. You can choose tools like Malwarebytes or Spybot
Search and Destroy. There are also some antivirus tools that
can scan for both virus and malware (such as Ashampoo
Magical Security 2). One of the issues you might face with
certain anti-malware tools is a lack of real-time scanning.
Because of this, you have to make sure your end-users do
frequent manual scans to catch any infections. When a client
neglects a scan, not only can that malware cause more
issues, more malware may be picked up.
2: PC Slowdowns
Malware is notorious
for slowing down machines, be it network connections or
speed of application use (or opening/closing said
application). Of course, a slowdown alone does not a malware
infection make. Since many other issues can cause a
slowdown, I would advise taking steps to cure that slowdown
first (defragmenting, adding RAM. the usual). If the PC is
still running poorly after you’ve taken the necessary steps
to address a slowdown, it’s likely to be malware.
3: Pop-ups
One potentially
embarrassing sign of malware is the popup. Lately, we’ve
seen a spike in porn-related popup malware issues that
either put a blush on the user’s face or elicit pure anger.
Unwanted pop-ups (especially those that happen when a
browser is not open) are a sure sign of malware infection.
The problem here is that they can’t always be removed in
standard mode. In those cases, the machine must be booted
into safe mode. As with nearly all malware, you’ll need a
strong anti-malware application to remove them.
4: Change of Home and/or Google Links
If a browser’s home page changes without your intervention,
more than likely there is a malware problem. The same is
true if you Google a topic, click a Google-provided link,
and are sent to a random link. If you’re seeing this
behavior, you have a malware or virus infection.
5: Browser Offline
If you can’t
browser the Internet but you know your network connection is
up and running (a ping check is an easy way to test this),
you probably have a malware infection. To double-check this,
go to your browser’s network connections settings and make
sure a proxy hasn’t been set (without your or your IT
department’s knowledge). If this is the case, and you know
you don’t use a proxy, you have a malware infection.
If you suspect a college computer has malware, spyware or a virus, disconnect (turn off the wireless adapter or un-plug the CAT5 cable) from the network and call IT (031 or 038) ASAP!