What do you do if you think that your computer is infected with a virus or otherwise compromised?
If you have a reason to believe that your computer has been the victim of a virus or other compromise, there are some important steps to take and points to remember as you investigate.
- Remain calm! This golden rule may prevent the loss of important data stored in your computer.
- Do not use your system for further work except for cleaning the system.
- Disconnect your computer from the Internet (e.g., unplug the ethernet cable and disable any wireless connections).
- Record any error message or details about the possible compromise.
- Before taking any action, back up all critical data to an external drive (a CD, flash memory, etc.).
If the computer cannot boot from the hard drive (error at startup), try to start the system in Safe Mode or from the Windows boot disk
- Verify that your computer has anti-virus software. Note the last update of virus definitions. Install antivirus software if necessary.
(Do not download updates onto an infected computer. Use an updated anti-virus CD instead. )
- Perform a full system scan and clean any infected files.
- ODU College of Science users. If you're still not sure your machine is clean and uncompromised then contact either
Charlotte A. Kimbro, OCNPS 117, 683-3008, ckimbro@odu.edu
or ODU Footprints (the web-based incident tracking system used by the OCCS to track requests for technology information and assistance)
These steps will minimize the risk to your files and help identify the source of the virus.