Security threats are dangerous and difficult to identify. The following information on viruses, worms, spyware and adware and phishing scams is provided to keep your computer one step ahead at all times.
Please review the emerging threats article to fully protect your computer and important information.
Virus
- A virus is a nasty program that causes serious problems on an infected computer. Some viruses exist only to spread themselves from computer to computer via email and can later be used by spammers to distribute millions of spam emails; while others can delete important system files, causing the infected computer to become inoperable.
- For example, a Trojan Horse virus can grant unauthorized access to a computer, which allows a hacker to use the computer and gives the hacker access to sensitive financial or personal data stored on the computer’s hard drive.
- Regardless of the type, a virus must be installed by the user of the computer. Opening suspicious email attachments is the most common way that computers become infected. If the sender or the filename is not familiar, the email attachment should not be opened. Viruses can also be embedded in files found on the Internet as well.
- Be especially wary of files with multiple extensions, such as picture.gif.exe.
Worm
- A worm is similar to a virus in that it is a program designed to spread itself to other networked computers to cause damage. However, unlike the virus, a worm does not require an action to inflict the damage. A worm uses a security hole in the operating system on a computer or in any program that connects to the Internet.
- These holes are frequently patched by the software vendors, so the best way to prevent infection is to keep the computer’s operating system up to date. Every computer user shares responsibility to keep the GW network worm free – it only takes one infected computer to spread a worm among vulnerable computers inside the network. Visit the Division of IT Help Desk for more information.
- Spyware or Adware is a type of software designed to monitor a computer user’s activities online and then report them back to the software distributor.
- Examples of this type of software are Gator/Claria, WebHancer and Bonzi Buddy. These companies use the data collected to target pop-up advertising and spam email. This invasion of privacy alone is enough reason to remove it from your computer. However, spyware also causes computer problems:
- Inability to use computer because spyware is using all available processing power
- Disruption of internet connection due to corrupted or deleted system files
- Possible display of offensive content in pop-up windows
- Increased vulnerability to viruses and/or worms
- System crash or total system failure
- Removing spyware from your computer is a good way to maintain a safe computing environment - and you'll likely notice a marked improvement in system performance. Some signs your computer has spyware are:
- Large amounts of pop-up advertising
- Noticeable degradation in computer performance
- Altered home page/browser settings
Spyware requires permission prior to installation, which makes the program and its activities legal – it is frequently bundled with ‘freeware’ programs, such as Weatherbug. To avoid inadvertently installing spyware, read everything before agreeing to software installation.
Phishing Scams
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Phishing Scams sometime circulate through the University disguised as official correspondence from The George Washington University. These types of scams can be very subtle. You should NEVER reply to email messages asking for personal information, even it the message claims to be security or email account related.
- No such email will EVER come from GW or the Division of IT Help Desk asking users to reply with information such as NetID, password, birth date, social security number, GWid number, etc. If you accidentally repond to a phishing message, or you believe that your account has been compromised, please contact the IT Support Center immediately at 202-994-GWIT (4948).
