Required computer registration reduces virus attacks
By: Clay Moffitt
Issue date: 9/10/04 Section: Campus News
Approximately one-third of computers on campus were infected by viruses Fall 2003 and causing the Utah State University Help Desk to take security measures to limit the effect viruses will have this year.
Starting this school year, in order for any computer to connect to the network at USU, the individual must register their ethernet card before they will be able to bring up a browser on their computer, said Steve Funk, the Help Desk supervisor at USU.
Funk, who helped establish the Help Desk nine years ago, said the beginning of the school year usually results in a large amount of viruses being spread, but having users on the network register their computers has helped limit the number of viruses this year.
"Usually there are a lot more viruses this time of year because students bring their computers from who knows where," Funk said.
The number of problems have declined with dozens of ports being turned off nearly everyday this time last year, Funk said, compared to only a handful a day this year.
Last year, the Sasser virus, as well as numerous other viruses, caused USU Webmail to be shut down for maintenance purposes, Funk said.
To prevent this from happening this year, in addition to having students register their computers, USU has implemented Mail Appliances, Funk said, which scans e-mails and detects for viruses and spam.
Some students have reported being without Internet because of complications with the new computer registering this year.
Megan Wereley, a student living in campus housing, said when she attempted to register her computer, it would not allow her to register because it didn't recognize the correct information on her computer. Werely said she noticed other students in her apartment complex were having the same problem.
"After I was done with my trials and tribulations, I was able to help everyone else with their computer," Wereley said.
Wereley said she was without Internet on her computer for four days because the Help Desk was closed, which she said could have been avoided if the Help Desk was open the Saturday and Sunday before school started to accommodate the large number of students moving in and trying to access the Internet.
Having the Help Desk open on the weekend before the school year begins is a possibility that Funk said he is considering to help the students.
Derek Davenport, a sophomore who works in the hardware repair and troubleshooting section of the Help Desk, said a lot of the students are not aware of the resources the Help Desk offers to them.
"Some students go months without Internet," Davenport said, "because they didn't know they could just bring their computer in."
The Help Desk offers 30 minutes of free labor to help students with their computers, Davenport said, which usually is enough time to fix most problems, and $20 per hour each hour after the first half hour, which he said is a lot cheaper than most computer stores.
The Help Desk's hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday.
The Help Desk can be reached at 797-HELP.
-cmoffitt@cc.usu.edu
Starting this school year, in order for any computer to connect to the network at USU, the individual must register their ethernet card before they will be able to bring up a browser on their computer, said Steve Funk, the Help Desk supervisor at USU.
Funk, who helped establish the Help Desk nine years ago, said the beginning of the school year usually results in a large amount of viruses being spread, but having users on the network register their computers has helped limit the number of viruses this year.
"Usually there are a lot more viruses this time of year because students bring their computers from who knows where," Funk said.
The number of problems have declined with dozens of ports being turned off nearly everyday this time last year, Funk said, compared to only a handful a day this year.
Last year, the Sasser virus, as well as numerous other viruses, caused USU Webmail to be shut down for maintenance purposes, Funk said.
To prevent this from happening this year, in addition to having students register their computers, USU has implemented Mail Appliances, Funk said, which scans e-mails and detects for viruses and spam.
Some students have reported being without Internet because of complications with the new computer registering this year.
Megan Wereley, a student living in campus housing, said when she attempted to register her computer, it would not allow her to register because it didn't recognize the correct information on her computer. Werely said she noticed other students in her apartment complex were having the same problem.
"After I was done with my trials and tribulations, I was able to help everyone else with their computer," Wereley said.
Wereley said she was without Internet on her computer for four days because the Help Desk was closed, which she said could have been avoided if the Help Desk was open the Saturday and Sunday before school started to accommodate the large number of students moving in and trying to access the Internet.
Having the Help Desk open on the weekend before the school year begins is a possibility that Funk said he is considering to help the students.
Derek Davenport, a sophomore who works in the hardware repair and troubleshooting section of the Help Desk, said a lot of the students are not aware of the resources the Help Desk offers to them.
"Some students go months without Internet," Davenport said, "because they didn't know they could just bring their computer in."
The Help Desk offers 30 minutes of free labor to help students with their computers, Davenport said, which usually is enough time to fix most problems, and $20 per hour each hour after the first half hour, which he said is a lot cheaper than most computer stores.
The Help Desk's hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday.
The Help Desk can be reached at 797-HELP.
-cmoffitt@cc.usu.edu
