Computer viruses

Computer viruses are malicious programs that can harm your computer. They are designed to automatically spread themselves from one computer to another over networks, in much the same way that biological viruses spread from person to person. Some viruses are relatively harmless, doing nothing more than spreading themselves; more serious viruses can cause programs to malfunction and data to be destroyed. All viruses are bad because they consume processing power and network resources, making your computer slower and clogging the network.

How can I protect myself from viruses?

Install an antivirus program. Pomona provides McAfee Antivirus for free, but you can also use Norton and AVG. These programs will warn you if a suspicious file attempts to gain entry to your system, and let you decide what to do about it. Anti-virus programs provide proactive protection, unlike anti-spyware programs, which must be run to be effective.

What should I do if I think I have a virus?

• AVG Anti-Virus
• McAfee Antivirus
• Norton AntiVirus

If you still need help, contact the ITS Helpdesk, and we will gladly assist you with removing the virus.