Few students haven’t been affected in some way by the recent outbreak of the MyDoom virus. Also known as W32.Novarg by some of the most popular virus detection software, the worm raced across the Internet faster than any other in recent history. Unfortunately, its unchecked expansion didn’t spare RPI’s campus, and students’ and faculty’s inboxes soon filled with attachment bearing messages claiming to be from their friends and professors.
With computer related security risks and exploitations that have become all too common, we have to wonder if RPI is doing everything they can to keep our network safe, secure, and running smoothly. In this case, they did. As soon as our network administrators knew about the problem, they took just about every precaution they could. An e-mail was sent out to the entire university warning about the threat, as well as a post on RPI TV and the DotCIO’s Kiosk online security watch. Overly suspicious e-mails were automatically stopped, and some infected computers’ internet access were isolated from the network until they could be cleaned. Some schools shut down their entire network until individual computers can be checked, cleaned, and cleared to go back online. Such a practice would be more devastating than any virus at RPI, so our network staff did everything they could short of the extreme.
The truth is, we all need to be careful when using our network. It is very important to keep the latest antivirus software installed on your computer, and as an RPI student or faculty member, it is available for free from the Help Desk. Make sure that you also keep your virus definitions up to date, and scan your computer often. Unfortunately, such updates can only be provided after a virus has already been released, so we all must take preventative action. Don’t open suspicious e-mails or attachments, even if they claim to be from someone you know. If you notice anything acting out of the ordinary, scan your computer with the latest definitions, or ask the Help Desk for assistance. The Internet is still young and wild, and we all must take care to keep ourselves safe.
