NTC, as well as the rest of the world, is currently dealing with very serious, multiple types of attacks against computers using Microsoft Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, and Windows Server 2003. New worms/viruses may infect computers via the network and/or email.

NTC provides Filters or Firewalls, which are put in place to protect you from these types of infections from the outside world. Once an infected PC is introduced to the inside of the network, it can spread freely to vulnerable and unprotected computers. If your machine has been identified or detected as the source of repetitive intrusion attempts against other networks, thus indicating the presence of a virus on your computer, it will be blocked from the Internet to prevent it from infecting other machines.

Computers identified as sending SPAM emailing (mass emails) will be blocked as well. While you are infected, your PC will experience high CPU usage and slow Internet speeds because of the amount of traffic that is generated from these types of worms when they are trying to infect other computers. The traffic could also cause your roommates and neighbors to experience slow Internet performance. Network outages can sometimes occur. So please follow the instructions listed below. You will not be able to access the Update site until a un-redirect request is sent.

Keep in mind that the majority of the latest virus/worms open up a backdoor on your computer that has most likely allowed an intruder in. For this reason we recommend that you reformat and/or at least change your passwords. If you reformat your computer, turn the basic Firewall on before you plug your Ethernet cable in, to keep you from becoming infected while you are downloading and installing Windows Updates.

Step 1: BUILT-IN FIREWALL AND SYSTEM RESTORE

Enabling the Windows XP built-in firewall can limit the effects and prevent re-infection of various types of worms. For comprehensive guidance on installing and enabling the firewall, see the Microsoft Protect Your PC site.

Antivirus programs cannot remove the infected files that reside in the 'System Restore' folders. If you ever have to use System Restore, you can infect your pc again with the same virus/worm. You can turn it back on after your pc is cleaned and it will create a new restore point.

Enable the Internet Connection Firewall: (Instructions may vary between systems)

1. Click Start
2. Click Control Panel.
3. Click Network and Internet Connections (If Service Pack2- Windows Firewall)
4. Click the Network Connections Control Panel Icon
5. Right-click Local Area Connection and select Properties
6. Under the General tab there may be a check box beside 'File and Printer sharing'. It is recommended to turn off this service, unless you desire to share your Printer and Files on our network.
7. Click the Advanced Tab
8. Check the box labeled 'Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet'.
9. Click OK

Step 2: OBTAINING UPDATES FOR YOUR SYSTEM

You will need to click on the Start button. There should be an icon called Windows Update (sometimes at the top of the 'All Programs'). When you click on this icon, it will launch a browser window that will take you to Windows update. Express Install is recommended. Windows will scan your system to find the updates currently installed and determine what updates are needed. ***Service Pack 2 should be available for download unless prior updates are needed. This may take several minutes to download. Do not restart or shutdown your system during installation.

If you do not see the Windows Update icon in your Start Menu, you may go directly to Windows Update website.

Configuring Your Auto Update - Windows XP/2000

You may configure Windows Update to automatically install.

1. Click on My Computer on your desktop.
2. Go to Control Panel.
3. Click on the Automatic Updates icon.

You may configure the settings to suit your preference. It is recommended that you choose to download and Install on a scheduled basis. You will then need to click OK.

Step 3: OBTAIN OR UPDATE ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is a free, fully-featured anti-virus application. AVG has features comparable to McAfee VirusScan and Norton Anti-Virus: automated system protection, POP e-mail scanning, scheduled scanning, and automatic virus definition and software updates.
http://free.grisoft.com

Stinger is a free stand-alone utility used to detect and remove specific viruses. It is not a substitute for full anti-virus protection, but rather a tool to assist administrators and users when dealing with an infected system. It searches for the latest 50 virus/worms and will delete them from your system.
http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/

Students can obtain invaluable information from their University regarding the effects of the latest Virus/Worms, removal and protection. Please visit your University's link below.
(Anti-Virus Software is sometimes FREE or discounted for Students!)

• ECU (Greenville, NC)
  • http://www.ecu.edu/ace
  • http://www.ecu.edu/cs-itcs/itsecurity/antivirus.cfm
• UNC-G (Greensboro, NC)
  • http://its.uncg.edu/Antivirus/
• UNC-CH (Charlotte, NC)
  • http://www.labs.uncc.edu/basics/antivirus.html
• NCSU (Raleigh, NC)
  • http://oit.ncsu.edu/antivirus
• JMU (Harrisonburg, VA)
  • http://www.jmu.edu/computing/download
  • http://www.jmu.edu/computing/security/startsafe
• University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA)
  • http://www.itc.virginia.edu/security/personal.html
• Longwood (Farmville, VA)
  • http://www.longwood.edu/infosec/antivirus.htm
• Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA)
  • http://www.antivirus.vt.edu/
  • http://www.antivirus.vt.edu/reactive/
• East Tennessee State University (Johnson City, TN)
  • http://antivirus.etsu.edu/
• University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)
  • http://www.software.ufl.edu/mcafee/index2.html
• Ole Miss: (Oxford, MS)
  • http://www.olemiss.edu/virus/
• Towson University (MD)
  • http://wwwnew.towson.edu/adminfinance/.../infosecviruses.asp

If you are not a student, please purchase or find alternative free software like Stinger. Remember to Un-install your expired Anti-Virus software before installing the new. Adaware is a great Utility for removing SpyWare/Pop-Ups and some viruses.

Step 4: SCANNING YOUR SYSTEM WITH UPDATED ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

1. Turn the computer on and as it starts up repeatedly tap the F8 key until the menu appears letting you choose SAFE mode. If the computer comes all the way up without giving you the menu, restart it and hit the key earlier in the startup process. If you still can't get it to work, stick a blank floppy disk in the computer, restart the computer, and when the computer complains about a non-system disk, remove the floppy diskette and hit the F8 key repeatedly.
2. Go to Start/ Programs/ Find your antivirus software and scan your Hard Drive (C:). Some infections can only be found and quarantined while in Safe Mode so it is the best practice to scan this way. Although, if you have trouble with Safe Mode, Please scan anyway in regular mode.
3. Remove all infected files from Quarantine and restart computer.

 

Related Links:

• http://www.zonelabs.com/
• http://www.mozilla.org
• http://www.safer-networking.org/microsoft.en.html
• http://www.us-cert.gov/current/current_activity.html#port5k
• http://www.sarc.com
• http://www.mcafee.com/us/
• http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/
• http://www.f-secure.com/
• http://securityresponse.symantec.com/
• http://www.spychecker.com/spyware.html
• http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
• http://www.mynetwatchman.com/tools/sc/