If you suspect that your University owned computer has been infected with a virus or are experiencing other related problems please contact help@engineering.ucsb.edu.
If ECI does not manage your computer or if this is your personal computer, here are a few preventive guidelines to make sure that your computer remains in the safe zone:
Remember to maintain your software with the latest security updates.
For example, if you use Windows ensure that automatic updates are enabled.
Even if you are on a Mac or on a Linux Operating System, there are updates you should do.
This should also include making sure Adobe Flash and Java are up to date if you have it installed on your computer.
It's vital to have an anti-virus program installed and that you keep its virus definitions up to date.
There are many free anti-virus programs available online such as Immunet/ClamAV, AVG, and Malwarebytes.
If you use Windows 7 or 8, Microsoft.com provides a free anti-virus sofftware package called Microsoft Security Essentials.
For Macs, Sophos provides a decent Anti-Virus program for free.
Use a recommended Browser
Ultimately you will choose which browser you will want to use but we recommend Firefox for web browsing from http://www.mozilla.com/
If you are on UCSB Connect, we recommend you use Chrome and the GMail interface.
Always use a firewall
Infections can happen from external sources.
Having a firewall up and configured to only allow what you want to allow will limit the number of issues later.
Be careful with what you download from your email or from the Internet in general.
Avoid clicking on popups or links saying your computer is infected with malware/viruses or is performing slow and how to improve it while browsing on the web.
Some websites may be using content providers that have been recently hacked, inserting trick advertisements to trick you into click on them to install malware.
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