Overview:

Computer Viruses and Phishing attacks are a fact of life.  It is an issue that requires a certain amount of vigilance on from the user.  Viruses and Phishing compromises are constantly being written, though fortunately not all of them find their way onto campus or into the University network. 

What is a Computer Virus?

Computer viruses are malicious pieces of code that are written to exploit a computer system at the hardware or software level.  They come in many different shapes, sizes, and entry points.  They can come from any infected file that is received by email, ftp, a flash drive, or downloaded from the web.

What is a Phishing attack?

A phishing attack is the attempt to deceive you into revealing, take action, or input sensitive information.  Often times they prey on a manufactured sense of urgency.  Fear, threat, or prize win to entice to your click on a link or divulge sensitive information.  This type of attack may come from a number of vectors, including by a telephone call, an email, a web site/popup, an instant message, or a text message.  Often they claim to be coming from a reputable or known source (such as Microsoft, Apple, Visa, MasterCard, or a co-worker).  The goal of these attacks is to obtain sensitive information, such as logins, passwords, credit card numbers, or even to install malicious software/malware onto a computer. 

What protective steps have been taken

The University of Iowa/ITS has required all computer system running on the University network to be running up-to-date virus-detection software.  The vast majority of the systems, including those in the College of Engineering, run a software called FireEye, which is administered by University of Iowa/IT Security & Policy Office.  This software is updated regularly because new viruses are written and distributed regularly. You should be mindful of the possibility of receiving and distributing viruses every time you receive a file via email, ftp, on a flash drive, or download a file from the web.

Additional Resources

University of Iowa antivirus security

Help

For help downloading, scanning, or renaming email attachments, please contact the consultant at the Engineering Help Desk, 319-335-5055, 1253 SC.