Nymda Virus

Late January, ITS sent a notice to all faculty and staff on campus about the virus, which was making headlines nationwide. Computers infected with Nimda or one of its varients were supposed to begin deleting files on the user's hard drive on February 3rd. This isn't the first time a virus has acted on a "trigger date" -- several years ago, the Da Vinci virus also spurred anticipation, threatening to wipe out the user's computer on Leonardo Da Vinci's birthdate.

Truman IT Services monitored systems for infections and made certain all University systems were protected against the threat. Also, with the instatement of Clean Access earlier this year, we were able to ensure that student computers on the campus network were kept up-to-date with the latest virus protection and operating system files. As a result, February 3rd came and went with no reported infections.

No matter what the latest threats may bring, you can count on ITS to keep you informed of the latest threats and the best ways to protect yourself against them. Check out the "Protect Yourself Against Viruses" how-to article in this issue to learn more safe computing practices for your computers at work and home.