Big@Boss.com spreads virus through USU
Student e-mail accounts at Utah State University have received file attachments containing a virus during the past three days.
The virus arrives as a message from Big@Boss.com. An attachment contains the infected file, said Help Desk supervisor Stephen Funk.
“Network and Computing Services encourages all computer users on campus to check their computers [for the virus],” Funk said. “Verify that you have an anti-virus program running on your computer and that the definition files are current.”
Since the virus, called W32/Sobig@mm, is new, virus scanning software without the appropriate definition updates will not detect infected files, according to McAfee’s Web site (www.mcafee.com).
Bob Bayn, associate director of Network and Computing Services, said he highly recommends that all students obtain virus-scanning software for their computers.
“Our McAfee software will block viruses and will clean up after them,” Bayn said.
USU owns a site license for the McAfee virus protection software, which allows anyone using the school’s network free access to the software, he said.
“It would be really great if everybody took advantage of that license and had the software installed and up to date on their computer,” Bayn said. “This virus wouldn’t be a problem to us anymore.”
According to the McAfee Web site, the virus does not present a serious threat to an infected computer, but it should not go untreated.
“You get infected, and it forwards itself to everyone in your address book,” Bayn said. “It would start to either fill up your disk or delete files on your own computer.”
The virus hasn’t created any tremendous problems with the university’s servers but has required a certain level of attention, he said.
“It is certainly taking up a lot of space, a lot of bandwidth and people’s time,” he said.
At least 20,000 copies of the virus have been deleted from university servers so far, Bayn said.
The arrival of new viruses is not uncommon, however.
“If you go to the McAfee Web site and look around, there are new viruses and new variances popping up all the time,” Bayn said. “Some of them end up having a real big impact on us and some of them not quite so much. It seems like there have been something like a dozen new viruses reported by McAfee since the first of the year.”
The best way for students to protect their computers against viruses is to have a virus scanner and to be skeptical about what they download.
“Skepticism and making good use of the available tools that we have to protect you are really essential; otherwise, you’re going to be spending a lot of time dealing with things that you don’t really need,” he said.
Students who are having computer problems related to viruses can call the Help Desk for assistance at 797-4358 or can make an appointment to bring their machines in for 30 minutes of free technical assistance.
–str@cc.usu.edu