VIRUSES & SPYWARE

Computer viruses are software programs that installs themselves on your computer without your knowledge or consent, and have the capability to make copies of themselves. Most viruses also have other effects, ranging from mildly annoying to highly destructive. Viruses are typically transmitted via email or shared document files.

Smith provides all students, faculty, and staff with free, continuously-updated virus-protection software. All users of the Smith network are expected to have McAfee VirusScan for Windows or Macintosh on their computer, and to ensure that their virus definitions are kept up to date.

To download VirusScan, go to the Smith software download page.

Protecting Your Files from Viruses
New computer viruses crop up every day, but luckily most are fairly easy to detect and remove. This document explains how to protect yourself from virus infections through safe computing practices and routine use of Smith's virus-checking tools. It also provides information about virus hoaxes and virus-information websites.

---

Parasiteware, spyware, and adware are other unwanted programs that install themselves on your computer when you view webpages or download files from the Internet. They are not intended to be destructive, but they can dramatically slow your computer's performance and invade your privacy. 

We recommend that all Windows users at Smith install two anti-parasiteware programs: Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy. Free versions of both programs are available to download from the Smith software download page.


Parasiteware on Windows Computers 
This document explains more about parasiteware and what you can do to avoid and remove it.