Antivirus Strategies
Virginia Tech takes measures to prevent and fight
computer viruses by offering resources such as an antivirus
Web site and using virus scanners on the VT Mail server.
However, please be aware that these preventative
measures are
only effective
if
you
use them.
antivirus.vt.edu
The antivirus Web site, antivirus.vt.edu (http://www.antivirus.vt.edu/)
contains important information and updates
on current virus alerts and ways to clean and
protect your system. On this site, Symantec AntiVirus
software (http://www.computing.vt.edu/security_and_viruses/av/domain_controllers.html)
is offered as a download for use on university-owned computers or computers owned by currently enrolled students only at no
charge.
Virus Scanners
Virus scanners are in place on the VT Mail server to
provide an additional layer of virus
protection. The scanners check
every piece of e-mail that passes through VT
Mail servers and identify and remove viruses before
they have a chance to infect your computer.
Virginia Tech makes every effort to contact those
who are sending viruses and help them
clean their computers.
However, this is only effective
if
the you send the e-mail header information
to 4Help. Viruses will often insert bogus information
into the "From" text box on
an e-mail to cover the source of
infection. For example, even
though the e-mail
says it is from student@vt.edu, it
may actually come from another ISP
(Internet Service Protocol). This
means that it is essential that the
e-mail headers
are examined
to discover
who actually sent the messages.
To send your e-mail header information from your infected
e-mail messages to 4Help, use this Help
Request Form.
The 4Help staff will investigate
the
headers to discover who sent them and assist you
in cleaning your computer.
Important: You will need to delete the entire "Content-type" line
in the header before sending it to 4Help.
For instructions on how to view your e-mail header information,
refer to Viewing
Where an E-mail Comes From.
|
