What are Computer Viruses? How can I tell if my computer is infected?
Virus Information
A computer virus is a piece of code intentionally written to cause damage to software or data files or to attempt to take control of a computer's resources to use it for malevolent purposes. Viruses execute on a given trigger, such as running a program, opening an email or even simply visiting a particular website. As viruses can have potentially devastating effects it is vital that all computer users be familiar with and implement best practices in computing to guard against infection.
Many viruses also possess the ability to propagate so that once they infect your computer they may be able to send themselves to every email address in your address book, clogging up the College email server. Other viruses have the potential to propagate via shared folders on the College network disrupting various network facilities.
How can I tell if I have a computer virus?
The symptoms of viruses/worms are not consistent so it can be hard to tell if you are infected. Some of the following symptoms may (but do not always) indicate you have a virus:
- Your system suddenly runs much slower
- Your system crashes or locks up often
- Your system restarts often without any interaction
- You see strange error messages or pop-up boxes
The only sure way to tell if your computer is infected, is to run a virus scan of your computer using an up-to-date anti-virus program. It’s very important to keep your anti-virus software up-to-date since new viruses are discovered daily.
What do I do if I think I have a virus or a worm?
Make sure your anti-virus software has the latest virus definitions and then use it to detect and remove any existing viruses.
If you are an Okanagan College Faculty or Staff Member, you should already be protected by Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition. If you do not have a virus scanner installed, or have a product other than Symantec installed, please initiate a Computer Services Work Order to have your system updated. If you feel that your system has been infected by a virus, please contact the Computing Services Helpdesk at local 4444.
If you do not have a updated virus scanner on your system, the following free tools are available online:
Where can I get additional information about viruses?
Symantec's Security Response website has information on:
- Virus Threats
- Virus Removal Tools
- Security Advisories
- Hoaxes
