Protecting your PC

Install Antivirus Software and Keep it Up to Date.

University owned and leased PCs, as well as student owned PCs for those students living on campus, are all covered by the University's Sophos site license. Sophos is available for download by those authorized users via this HELPDESK site: http://www.siue.edu/HELPDESK/sophos/.

It is not enough to simply have antivirus software installed on your machine. The Sophos antivirus software is configured to automatically look for and install updates on a regular basis. If you are using other antivirus software, you must make certain that it is up to date at all times. New viruses are created on a regular basis, and those virus definitions must be added to your antivirus product. Many products allow you to update your virus definitions on a set schedule, i.e., whenever you boot your machine, every day at noon, etc. At a minimum, it is recommended that you check for updates at least once a week, more frequently if you hear of a virus outbreak, and that you scan your machine for viruses on a similar schedule.

Check for Windows Updates on a Regular Basis.

Microsoft puts out updates which are designed to correct known problems with its operating systems in order to eliminate vulnerabilities to attacks by viruses, worms, trojans and other destructive code.

Windows Update works with:

• Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me)
• Windows 2000
• Windows XP
• Windows NT Server 4.0
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003

Windows 98 and NT Workstation 4.0 are no longer supported by Microsoft, but archived updates for these two versions are still available.

In Internet Explorer, select Tools, and Windows Update. Follow the onscreen directions to Scan for updates. Your machine will be scanned and you will be notified if there are any updates available. Those updates generally fall into three categories: Critical Updates and Service Packs, Windows xx, and Driver Updates. It is the Critical Updates and Service Packs which are the most important to download and install. These are the updates that make your machine less vulnerable to viruses and other malicious code.

The following links will take you to Microsoft instructions on how to set your machine to make Automatic Updates in Windows ME, 2000, and XP:

• Windows ME
• Windows 2000
• Windows XP

At a minimum, it is recommended you check for updates weekly.

A brochure, entitled: Computer Security: Answers to Commonly Asked Questions is available as a pdf document (requiring Adobe Acrobat to view it).

If you need additional information after consulting this source, you are encouraged to contact the Customer Support Center at (618) 650-3739.

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