The world of worms, viruses and hackers is making it 
increasingly difficult on average computer users at UAA. In the recent past, names like Code Red, Nimda and Blaster have crept into everyday conversation. Even the most casual computer user at UAA must become more involved in the everyday management of their personal computer.
Last Thursday, the UAA community began seeing email messages that looked like they came from Microsoft advising users to install a security patch that had been enclosed with the email message. Unfortunately, the message was a hoax and those who installed the attachment unleashed a virus identified as W32.Swen.A to be installed on their computer. Even though it looked like an official Microsoft email, it was a trap for many. So how can you protect your computer?
In this new and increasingly dangerous cyber world, we are strongly advising UAA computer users to take the following steps:
First: Install Symantec Anti-virus on your computer. Install and configure the anti-virus software in managed-mode and point it to UAA’s virus definition server, nav.uaa.alaska.edu. Doing this will protect your computer and guarantee that should new virus definitions be published your computer will be automatically updated and secured.
Second: Routinely check for valid updates from Microsoft. This can be done by selecting Tools à Windows Update in Microsoft Explorer and following the instructions for installing updates. If you’re using Windows and another browser, you can visit the Microsoft website, http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and follow the instructions to update your computer. If you have questions, give the IT Call Center a call. The recent Blaster worm that hit UAA proved that many users had not updated their computers. As a result, their workstations got clobbered by Blaster and several subsequent variants. Checking and applying software updates from Microsoft is critical!
Third: Don’t take anything for granted. If you see an email that asks you to give personal information or to do something that does not seem legitimate, “hit the DELETE key”. If you see something happen with your computer that seems unusual, stop what you’re doing and give the IT Call Center a call. There’s safety in being cautious these days.
Our security model is a bit different than corporate organizations due to our highly distributed computing infrastructure. In many corporate environments, firewalls are designed to protect everything inside a company’s network from viruses, worms and other intrusions.
Here at UAA, we have implemented a security model that protects clients (i.e., individual personal computers) and servers, but leaves our campus networks for the most part extensions to the global Internet! This allows campus users greater flexibility in managing personal computing resources.
However, it also means that individual personal computer users must be much more engaged in the management of their own computers. This fact of life is now becoming more critical for everyone to understand. Please take the time to routinely follow the steps outlined above for your personal office computers. In the next few weeks IT Services will be announcing a new short course for interested faculty and staff on caring and maintaining personal computers.
Be proactive! Please bookmark UAA’s technology website, http://technology.uaa.alaska.edu and visit it often as the latest information on computers and technology services will be posted here. Finally, the IT Call Center technicians are well-trained and ready to help you with any technology-related question or problem; technicians are available Monday – Friday, 7am – 7pm.
UAA IT Services Call Center: 786-4646
