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Computer Virus News

By Wil Clark, ACS General Access Lab Manager and Campus Virus Guru

Automated Updates Coming Soon

Have you thought much about computer viruses lately? Your answer is probably "no." Computer viruses are like human viruses, we typically do not think about them until we have one. Well, Academic Computing Services is working toward a solution that will give you up to date virus protection but allow you to not think about it that much. This semester we are implementing a system that allows the virus protection software on your computer to check for updates and upgrades automatically. 

Once the system is complete, your computer will be able to check for updates and install them. Then you will not need to worry about checking for updates. Some people do not check for updates until they have been infected with a virus. This new system will reduce the chances that your computer is infected with a virus that the virus software does not know about.

Top Ten Viruses

While we are talking about viruses, you may find this interesting. The box on the left is the McAfee Virus Information Library top 10 viruses list for this month. These are the 10 most common computer viruses found in the wild.

As you might expect some of these viruses have been found on UNT computers. The important thing to remember about viruses and virus protection is that you must keep your virus detection software up to date.  You can access licensed virus scanners from the UNT virus web site.
TOP VIRUSES
  1. Cap
  2. Ethan
  3. Marker
  4. Ataka
  5. Picture
  6. W32/Ska
  7. Laroux
  8. Cih Spacefiller
  9. Class
 10. Brenda

Virus Highlight: Joke programs

One method of computer virus infection is "joke" programs. You have probably received some of these through E-mail from a friend. Most joke programs are harmless, but the the number of them and the frequency that one receives them may cause a lapse in good computing practice. You should always be suspicious of any file you receive. Period.  Scan it just to be sure. 

Two recent joke programs are Ultra Cool and Wobbling. Ultra Cool simulates a hard disk format. That is enough to cause a little panic. Wobbling makes your windows wobble. Both programs are harmless but their behavior is alarming.

Check out Network Associate's AVERT Virus Alerts page for information on new viruses and joke programs.

Virus Safety Tip: Scheduled Scanning

You can schedule your virus protection software to scan your computer periodically. Choose a time of day that your computer will be on but you will not be using it.  Lunch time is my choice. Then just follow the steps for your computer:

McAfee VirusScan for Windows 95/98

We will schedule a lunch time scan of a computer. This example assumes you have version 4.0.1 of McAfee VirusScan. Contact your network administrator or download the program from UNT's virus software distribution site if you need this version.

  1. Launch McAfee VirusScan Scheduler -- Click on Start/ Programs/ McAfee VirusScan/ McAfee VirusScan Scheduler
  2. Create a new task -- Click on Task/ New Task
  3. Type a Description -- Type "Lunchtime Scan" for example
  4. Configure the scan task to start automatically-- Click Configure..., Check "Start automatically" in the "What to scan" section, Click OK
  5. Schedule the task -- Click "Schedule" tab
    1. Enable the task -- Check "Enable"
    2. Choose a repeat period -- Check "Daily" for example in the "Run" section
    3. Choose a time to begin -- Type 12:10 in the "Start at" section
    4. Choose days to scan -- Check each day that you want to perform the scan
  6. Accept the new task -- Click OK to place the task in the scheduler

There are many other options you can configure for a task.  The default choices are good for our example. Some options may be preset and locked by your system administrator.  You can explore the other configuration options to see if they will be of use to you.

Virex for Macintosh

We will schedule a lunch time scan of a computer. This example assumes you have version 5.9.1 of Dr. Solomon's Virex. Contact your network administrator or download the program from UNT's virus software distribution site if you need this version.

  1. Launch Virex Control Panel -- Click on Apple Menu/ Control Panels/ Virex Control Panel
  2. Open Virex Preferences -- Click "Preferences..."
  3. Go to Scheduling Section -- Scroll through icons in the left section of the Virex Control Panel Preferences and Click on "Scheduling"
  4. Enable Scheduling -- Check "Schedule Scan For:"
  5. Scan all local volumes -- Check "All Local Volumes"
  6. Set the scan time -- Adjust the time to 12:00 PM
  7. Set the scan to repeat daily -- Adjust the "Repeating:" option to "Daily"
  8. Accept the new schedule -- Click "Save"

There are other options you can configure for scheduling.  The default choices are good for our example. Some options may be preset and locked by your system administrator. You can explore the other configuration options to see if they will be of use to you.