What was thought to be a potentially widespread computer virus outbreak turned out to be little more than a minor attack, Tufts Computing Communication Services (TCCS) officials said yesterday. Despite the small impact of the virus, which was reported to officials by a concerned student, TCCS sent a campus-wide voicemail to remind students how to prevent viruses from spreading and what to do if their computers are infected.
According to Associate Director of Information Technology Training Kathleen Cummings, recent viruses on campus have come in the form of less-destructive "worms," which she described as "more annoying than anything else."
Despite this particular virus's relatively small impact, TCCS is working to keep Tufts' computers "clean" and prevent future infections. University systems have been protected by virus software that updates automatically for two years, and officials hope to introduce a similar system for students by Fall 2002.
"It would use Command Anti-Virus software, which is very user friendly. We're hoping to pre-configure it to automatically [update]." Because hundreds of viruses are released every day, effective virus software must be continually updated with new countermeasures.
Though Tufts has been hit with more destructive viruses in the past, the University has generally been spared from destruction of large-scale attacks. Cummings said the University's widespread use of Netscape Messenger instead of Microsoft Outlook Express prevented many infections.
"We have been far more fortunate than many other educational and private institutions," she said. "Far more viruses are written for Outlook because it is the [program] of choice."
The voicemail alerted students and faculty to the presence of these viruses, and informed them where to go in case of infection. Anyone with an infected laptop can visit room 009 in Ballou during business hours. Those with desktops can call 74TOL and arrange for a student technician to visit their room.
Tufts Community Union (TCU) Vice President Melissa Carson initially alerted TCCS to the virus's presence. After discovering that some of her friends had also exchanged infected e-mails, she was concerned the outbreak might be campus-wide.
She and a friend were getting unexpected e-mails from people they knew, which "had odd subject lines or no message at all, but were still [large]."
Carson called the Tufts University Police Department, who referred her to a computer crisis line. Though it was late at night, the representative manning the phone instructed her to forward the e-mail to him for analysis.
TCCS advises using and maintaining a virus protection program, and using the Windows Update feature, frequently located in the Start menu. Because many viruses exploit security holes in Windows and Outlook Express, TCCS officials stressed the importance of updating these programs as frequently as possible.
Aside from regular backups of important files, common sense will also help prevent some virus attacks. Students should exercise caution when opening unexpected e-mail attachments or other suspicious messages.
