Anti-virus and Definition Files

We strongly encourage you to install anti-virus software and update the definition files (files that help detect new viruses) frequently. Definition files can be set to update automatically or manually. However you decide to update your definition files, you will need to update them once a week in order to keep your anti-virus protection effective. Anti-virus software is a great method to protect your computer system.

We recommend Avast, AVG, Bit Defender, McAfee, or Norton. However, remember that any anti-virus software is better than none.

If you desire a free anti-virus product, we recommend using Avast. AVG and Bit Defender also offer a feature-limited free version.

Remember: if your computer is spreading viruses, your internet access will be disabled.

What is a virus?

A virus is a computer program that can copy itself to a computer without a user's permission or knowledge. Once a virus infects a host, it can do anything that any other program on that computer is capable of doing.

There are several types of viruses, or more properly, there are several 'flavors' of malicious program that are generally referred to as a 'virus'. Here are the major types, and the differences between them:

Virus

Can only be spread when it's host is taken to an uninfected computer, for example when an infected file is sent over the internet or on a disk to another person's computer

Worm

Simmilar to a virus, however a worm is self-replicating: they can spread without user intervention through insecure networks and other mediums.

Trojan Horse

A trojan horse does not infect other programs or files, but instead is a file which appears to be a useful program. Trojan horses are harmless until they are opened, at which point any number of things ranging from a practical joke to complete data loss could happen.

Why does CWU care if my computer has antivirus protection?

It is important for all the computers on the campus network to have current antivirus software. A virus affects more than just the insecure computer that gets infected, and has very real consequences for the univeristy. Viruses threaten other computers on the network, including not just university equiptment but also your friend's and neighbor's computers. They also exhaust network resources in attempts to spread, and cost time and money to combat. Every moment that network engineers spend looking for the source of odd network traffic is time taken away from improving network performance for everyone.