2.d - Spyware and Virus Protection

While the Internet is what allows many online applications such as NSU Blackboard possible, it also allows many other, sometimes malicious, applications to propagate as well. Many people have heard of "spyware" and "computer viruses" over the past few years as they have both become very prevalent to the Internet and computing.

Using Blackboard at NSU requires that your computer be connected to the Internet. NSU takes very serious steps to keep viruses and spyware off of our servers and campus computers; however, it is also important for home students and faculty to ensure the same level of safety on their home computers. Please read through and understand the importance of keeping your home computer clean from any viruses and/or spyware.

What is "Spyware"? Spyware is a type of computer application or software that is installed on a target computer. This software can accumulate information about your web browsing activity, forms you fill out, sites you have visited, it can cause more frequent targeted (and many times unwanted) advertising in the form of pop-ups and "special" offers, among other things. While some spyware is considered more of an annoyance than a safety problem, there are many forms of spyware that can find and send personal information (such as credit card information, social security numbers, email addresses, etc) to unwanted sites over the Internet. That is why it is important to keep your computer free of these programs. Microsoft recently released service packs and utilities to help remove these types of programs, so the first step to protection means downloading and installing the latest versions of these services packs and utilities. However, you may also want to use other known spyware scanners and removal tools such as the following:

What are "Computer Viruses"? Computer Viruses are similar in nature to the viruses that attack the human body (such as the cold). Computer viruses are generally small computer programs that are written to take advantage of weaknesses in computer operating systems and other installed computer software. When "hackers" learn about these weaknesses, they write small programs that are coded to allow themselves to be copied over and over from one computer to another over the Internet using the exposed weaknesses in other software. While the vast majority of computer viruses simply cause things like computers to run slow or "crash" frequently, there have been instances of viruses that have been known to cause major problems such as wiping out hard drives and rendering whole computer systems useless. There are new viruses released each week, and that is why it is very important to install a Virus scanner on your home computer and keep it continually up to date. All computers and servers at NSU are protected by Anti-Virus software and scanners.

Here is a list of common Virus Protection company websites. Some are free, and some you must pay for. If you must pay, it is worth the price and effort to get the protection!

Symantec Corporation - makers of Symantec Anti-Virus
McAfee Antivirus
AVG Antivirus
Sophos - makers of Anti-virus, Anti-Spam, and Anti-Spyware products for business users.

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