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Ohio State University logo Office of Information Technology Technology Support Center (8help)

Protecting Against Computer Virus Infection and Intrusion



In today's world new computer viruses and intrusion techniques are being propagated almost daily. To avoid becoming a victim there are a few simple guidelines and procedures to follow.

  1. Run a virus detecting program on your computer. For OSU faculty, staff, and students there is a site licensed program available from the OSU Site-Licensed Software Downloads area for both Macintosh (Virex) and Windows (VirusScan) based computers. More recent versions are configured to automatically download current virus data files. You can also download the most current version at the above site at the appropriate virus software program area.


  2. DO NOT open any e-mail attachment without first making sure the virus software has scanned it, and the person who sent it, actually did send it. Those who send viruses are very clever in attempting to trick you into thinking the attachment did come from an authoritative source, someone you know, a co-worker, friend, the computer facility on campus, or a valid software company, like Microsoft. Attachments from these seemingly valid sources are almost never from the actual person or company and are most likely viruses! Statements such as "your e-mail will be terminated unless you send us the completed attached document" or "This is a critical patch to...." are common ploys used to lure you to click on the attachments.


  3. In addition to viruses, there are also hoaxes. These generally take the form of virus warnings, and usually ask you to forward the message to as many people as possible, thereby propagating hoaxes rapidly.


  4. There is also a class of programs called spyware which monitor the use of your computer and report back to a central site such things as web sites you have visited, with the ultimate goal of delivering targeted advertising. They can cause web web browsers such as Internet Explorer to function improperly and interfere with the operation of your computer in other ways as well. These systems are usually installed with music or other file sharing software. Since spyware is not a virus, some virus detectors do not detect it or notify you if it is installed on your system. VirusScan 8.0 has introduced an option to detect spyware. Instructions for configuring this feature can be found here. Another highly rated freeware detection program is called Spybot, which does a good job of detection and removal.


  5. When your computer is connected to the Internet it is like opening the door of your computer to the world. Not only can you see out, but others can see in, unless you take precautions. This is especially important if you have a high speed internet connection that is "always on". To block access to you computer(s) from the outside generally a firewall is used. It can be software (a program) or hardware (a physical device).

Just as it is necessary to protect your home or business, it is also necessary to protect your computer from intruders. The 5 basic items above list some things you can do, or items you need to be aware, to protect your computer.

Information source summary:

  • OSU Safe Computing Site.
  • CERT Coordination Center, a part of a Federally Funded Research and Development Center.
  • McAfee Security - current hot virus topics.
  • Spyware information.
  • Details on firewalls for home use.


Current Record: 1473

Create Date: 10-01-2003
Last Reviewed: 09-29-2008
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