Virus Protection

All employee and public lab computers are protected from viruses by Carbon Black software. Virus definitions are updated automatically to maintain this protection.

Having up-to-date antivirus software is only the first step in protecting your computer from viruses. New viruses are being created all the time and could attack before antivirus software can be developed to detect them. Therefore it is essential that you follow safe practices when downloading files or opening email attachments. Listed below are some
tips for preventing a virus infection on your computer.

Take care with email attachments

  • Never open an attachment from someone you don’t know.
  • Never open an attachment with a double file extension (such as name.bmp.exe)
    or with the extensions VBS, SHS or PIF
  • If someone you know sends an unexpected attachment or an attachment
    in a message that seems strange, check with them before opening the
    attachment, or just delete the message.
  • See F-Secure’s web page for further tips on preventing the spread of email viruses.

Log off your computer on weeknights to allow automatic virus definition
updates

Your computer was configured to automatically update new virus definitions regularly. Unless you have made any changes, this update will take place on a weeknight. Your computer needs to be turned on and you need to be logged off for this update to proceed smoothly. Please remember to always log off your computer during the week, by clicking Start > Shut Down and then selecting the option to log off.

Set Word Macro Security level to High

Many viruses spread in Word documents, through the use of macros. These viruses can be avoided if Word macro security is set to “High”. To check this, click Tools > Macro > Security… on the Word menu. Click the Security Level tab and make sure that High is selected.

Perform regular backups of your personal files

This won’t stop you from getting a virus, but if a virus does destroy information on your hard drive it will ensure that you can recover your data.