Module 3.2 - Keeping Your Computer Safe

 Keeping your Computer Safe

Laptop A Brief History of the Computer Virus

The first computer virus was written in 1971 and was spread on ARPANET, the predecessor to the Internet.1 The virus, known as "the Creeper", was experimental, but not malicious in nature. It didn't damage data, but displayed the playful message "I'm the creeper: catch me if you can".2

Download2.png free.jpgDownload3.png

 

Laptop Canyons District IT Department Approach

Malware has come a long way since the Creeper. How does the Canyons District IT Department keep your computer safe? It depends on whether you are running a Mac or PC.

The Windows machines in the district have Microsoft Endpoint Protection, which provides virus and malware protection that is centrally managed.

According to Thomas Bailey, Canyon's system engineering team lead, "The Macs that are configured with district standards report various information back to a central location while they are on our network. Part of this information involves indicators of compromise, Adware, Malware etc. We then use this information to remotely cleanup bad files, programs or extensions in many cases.

"So, while this does not prevent infections in and of itself, since [August 29, 2017] I have removed well over a hundred instances of Adware/Malware that [employees] installed on their devices over the summer. So, the short answer is yes, the district takes both proactive and reactive measures to try and keep the Macs safe or remove Adware/Malware etc as we become aware of it. At times this may mean a Field Tech has run [anti-malware software]. In extreme cases, it may mean they need to re-image the machine. We also have teachers and staff self-report problems, at which point a Field Tech looks into it."

 

Shield The First Line of Defense: YOU!

The human element of the equation is critical. Be cautious while on the Internet. With over a billion websites4 online, one cannot know if every website they visit is "reputable." It takes a bit of savviness, that we will explore in the following pages. First of all, avoid downloading anything unless you are sure of the source. All of the "download" buttons on this page came from the same website. There was a "real" download button on the page, but do you think all the extra download buttons might fool someone?

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Free photo Helmets Spears Medieval Soldiers Defence Armour - Max Pixel3

 

Laptop Additional Information

Why don't we have anti-virus software on my Mac? Here's why Links to an external site..

 

1 "Computer virus - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_virus Links to an external site.. Accessed 31 Oct. 2017.
3 "Creeper (program) - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creeper_(program) Links to an external site.. Accessed 31 Oct. 2017.
3 Source: http://maxpixel.freegreatpicture.com/Helmets-Spears-Medieval-Soldiers-Defence-Armour-1125807 license: Copyright-Only Dedication (based on United States law)  Links to an external site.or Public Domain Certification Links to an external site.
4 "Total number of Websites - Internet Live Stats." http://www.internetlivestats.com/total-number-of-websites/ Links to an external site.. Accessed 23 Oct. 2017.