Viruses

What is a virus and how do I better protect against them?

A virus is just a program that somebody wrote whose job is to spread itself and attack other computers. If you have a virus-- more likely, viruses- they can corrupt your software and damage your files, sometimes so badly that you lose all of your data and have to reinstall Windows again from scratch. (This is why we tell you to make frequent backup copies of your work.)

Often your computer will behave oddly- it will run extremely slowly, shut down all by itself, crash with no explanation, and freeze. Some common symptoms can be:

• “This system is shutting down- Shutdown initiated by NT\Authority\System” (Sometimes refers to C:WINNT\System32\LSASS.EXE)
• The System32 window opens on its own when you start the computer up
• Unexplained crashes: “IEXPLORE has caused an error in <unknown>. This program will now close.”
• Applications might not open, or they crash for no reason.
• Your email program might try to send messages out, or you get “returned” messages that you did not send.

You must have an antivirus program installed to use the Cushing network. You should keep this program up to date (go get the latest virus definitions) and run it at least once a week to check for problems. If you do not, you risk problems with your computer, damage to your files, and you can also spread the virus to others.

Even if your antivirus software (such as Symantec/Norton antivirus) automatically protects against your computer, getting the updates and scanning once a week yourself is very important.

What do I do when I know I have a virus?

If your system gets a virus, hopefully your antivirus software will quarantine it (put in a holding area) or delete it. If it is unable to do so, let us know and come down to the Tech Office during Office Hours so we can take a look at it. You may have to leave it with us for a few days, as some of these viruses can be very, very hard to remove.

It is MUCH, MUCH easier to just prevent the problem in the first place:

• Have antivirus software, keep it updated, and run it once a week.
• Do NOT click on email attachments that you did not ask for, don’t know what they are, or don’t know where they come from.

For example: Here is a virus that can automatically email itself- it can search out an address from your address book or create a fake address so it looks like the email came from someone you know:

In the above case, price2.zip was the file that has the virus in it, trying to trick you into clicking on it. Also, in this case, the poor sender did not send the email, and probably has no idea that it was sent in his name- he knows nothing about it. The address was faked by the virus to fool people into thinking it comes from someone they already know.

DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY OPEN ANY ATTATCHMENT! This is especially true for anything with the .EXE or .ZIP extensions. However, be careful even of .txt attachments, as those can be faked too!

How do I get rid of these Pop-up ads?

Pop-up ads are a symptom of a different kind of annoying problem- commonly called Spyware but there are several names:

• Spyware- so called because they spy on what sites you visit, record that information, and send it back to their creators so they can tell what you are looking at
• AdWare- so called because they send you pop-up ads
• Browser Hijackers- so called because they change your home page and redirect all searches and web surfing to go through their sites first- letting someone else know what you are interested in
• Foistware- stuff pushed down to your computer even when you don't want it.

They are all unwanted programs on your system, most of the time installed without your consent. There are a couple of free programs we use that we really like, SpyBot and AdAware- our instructions and download page can be found at : http://tech.cushing.org/help/spyware.shtml

What is the difference between viruses and spyware?

Viruses are made to attack your whole computer system, and spread over a network, through email, or by downloading them from the Internet. They are programs that are deliberately made to harm your system.

Spyware tends to affect only a web browser, like Internet Explorer, and often come from only the Internet. While it is more just an annoyance at first, spyware can eventually cause damage to your Windows software-- but usually that is only a side effect of being sloppily written, untested, and send out haphazardly.