2008 Woodie Awards
Virus cleanup hinges on students
By: James Chilton
Issue date: 3/29/07 Section: News
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With most of Webster's computer network free from the debilitating virus that swept across campus mid-February, Student Technology Services, better known as ResTech, has been cleaning out the virus' last remaining sanctuary - student-owned computers on campus.
According to Assistant Director of Information Services Kristi Evans, ResTech faces one small impediment to their progress - the students.
"We can't scare them enough," Evans said. "And they need to be scared."
After one month, ResTech has cleaned and inoculated approximately 125 student-owned PCs; but Evans estimated more than three-quarters of affected computers remain untouched.
"That leaves some 300-plus Windows computers that put the students at risk of identity theft, of financial theft and of having their computers disabled to the point where they can't use them," Evans said.
Even during spring break, when ResTech received an influx of nearly 40 computers, Evans said her staff could have taken on more. The primary obstacle to treating student computers, she said, has been getting students to make appointments and fill out the required paperwork.
"There's a lot (of students) that don't put up any resistance, they just don't come in," Evans said.
Larry Haffner, vice president of Information Technology, said filters had been put in place across Webster's network to prevent the virus from spreading while still allowing normal traffic, including Internet access. However, he did warn that students still had the potential to infect other networks if an infected laptop is taken off campus.
Haffner dismissed rumors the virus could affect Macintosh computers, suggesting any slowdown Mac users experienced was the result of increased network traffic caused by infected PCs, which has since been brought under control.
He agreed that if more students had made appointments the cleanup would be further along, but he sympathized with some of the inconveniences students face.
According to Assistant Director of Information Services Kristi Evans, ResTech faces one small impediment to their progress - the students.
"We can't scare them enough," Evans said. "And they need to be scared."
After one month, ResTech has cleaned and inoculated approximately 125 student-owned PCs; but Evans estimated more than three-quarters of affected computers remain untouched.
"That leaves some 300-plus Windows computers that put the students at risk of identity theft, of financial theft and of having their computers disabled to the point where they can't use them," Evans said.
Even during spring break, when ResTech received an influx of nearly 40 computers, Evans said her staff could have taken on more. The primary obstacle to treating student computers, she said, has been getting students to make appointments and fill out the required paperwork.
"There's a lot (of students) that don't put up any resistance, they just don't come in," Evans said.
Larry Haffner, vice president of Information Technology, said filters had been put in place across Webster's network to prevent the virus from spreading while still allowing normal traffic, including Internet access. However, he did warn that students still had the potential to infect other networks if an infected laptop is taken off campus.
Haffner dismissed rumors the virus could affect Macintosh computers, suggesting any slowdown Mac users experienced was the result of increased network traffic caused by infected PCs, which has since been brought under control.
He agreed that if more students had made appointments the cleanup would be further along, but he sympathized with some of the inconveniences students face.
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