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How to avoid viruses

Do NOT open or view any attachment or file in email that you are not expecting.

Even if you know the person sending you a file, it does not mean that the file is safe. Newer email viruses can make it look as if your friends/colleagues are sending you the file. In short, whenever you receive a file by email, CHECK with the sender directly that the file is legitimate and if it is not, contact your IT support area.

Following this rule will keep you safe from the vast majority of viruses going around the internet.

General guidelines for avoiding computer viruses

  1. Do not run, download or forward any unsolicited executables, documents, spreadsheets, etc. Anything that runs on your PC should be virus checked and approved first.
  2. Any email you weren't expecting should be treated with suspicion, even if it comes from someone you know. It is worth calling whoever sent it to you to check that they intended to send you the email.
  3. NEVER open any files with a double file extension, (e.g. iamavirus.txt.vbs). Under normal circumstances you should never need to receive or use these.
  4. Avoid downloading executables or documents from the internet. These are often used to spread computer viruses.
  5. Although JPG, GIF and MP3 files are not normally infected with viruses, some viruses can be disguised as these file types, also some recent software problems with image viewers and/or mp3 players have allowed them to contain viruses. Some caution is recommended when opening these file types. Jokes, pictures, graphics, screensavers and movie files should be treated with the same amount of suspicion as other file types.
  6. If in doubt, contact the ITS Service Desk for advice, do not open the file or email.
  7. If you think you have been infected with a virus inform the ITS Service Desk immediately. Do not panic or interrupt other users.
  8. Any virus warnings or hoaxes should be sent to the ITS Service Desk who can help confirm whether or not it is genuine. Do not forward these warnings to anyone else; unless you are signed up to an official virus alert service it is unlikely to be a genuine warning.
  9. Ensure that you follow the same procedures at home and elsewhere. Viruses can easily be spread from one location to another.
  10. Bank Scams: Ignore emails from banks, unless you have explicitly asked the bank to communicate with you via e-mail.
    • Even if you have explicitly asked a bank to communicate with you via e-mail, be cautious if you choose to enter your account details such as your BSB number, account number or pin into a website supplied via e-mail, as it may be forged.

Monash anti-virus guidelines (for staff)

  1. Have the latest copy of University's anti-virus software, installed on your machine
  2. If you are not certain about an e-mail delete the e-mail. Do NOT open or view it just to check. You cannot be infected if you delete an e-mail.
  3. If you receive an unexpected e-mail attachment you are not sure about, contact your local IT/TWP people, they have the latest tools and reports on viruses that may be attacking the University.
  4. Save ALL attachments you receive by e-mail and scan them for viruses before you read them. If you have received an infected file please note the virus type reported by the University's anti-virus software and forward this information on to your IT/TWP rep.
  5. Where possible; place documents on shared network drives (V: and T:) rather than emailing them back and forth as a mechanism for sharing. This ensures that files are scanned by the ITS servers, and reduces the risk of staff becoming accustomed to automatically double-clicking email attachments.

Where can I get the University's anti-virus software from?

Ensuring you have the latest copy of the University anti-virus software on the workstations that you use. Most workstations should be setup with an automatically updating copy of the anti-virus software prior to the workstation being made available to staff. Customers wishing to protect their home computer can manually install the University's anti-virus software by following the installation instructions for the platform that you are using. It is suggested that Technical support staff use the link above to the University anti-virus software.

ITS recommends scanning ALL documents before you open them.

I have a virus, who should I tell?

When you receive a virus you should inform the following people,

  • Those who have access to the file on the network
  • Those you have emailed the infected file to
  • The person you originally got the infected file from.
  • Your IT representative even if your anti-virus software cleans the machine, just so the University can keep track of viruses.

Please do NOT send a warning to everyone you know. ITS can propagate such messages in an efficient manner, and these sorts of warnings can cause other problems.

What about the virus hoaxes?

A virus hoax is a 'warning' sent to many people from a 'reliable' source such as IBM or Sun. Invariably it states that the virus will cause disaster and that you should pass the warnings around. If you receive such messages and wish to confirm their legitimacy you should look up the ITS Virus Hoax page, or contact your local IT/TWP support staff.

  
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