Antivirus Software

What is antivirus software?
Antivirus software is a special kind of program that is written to isolate or remove viruses from your computer.

How does antivirus software work?
Some antivirus programs are installed and run as you need them. Other more advanced antivirus programs can be configured to automatically scan your computer for viruses and update themselves on a set schedule.

When a virus is discovered, technicians from antivirus software companies and software manufacturers isolate and analyze the program code. They hope to discover information about how the virus is transmitted, what damange (if any) is done to the receiving computer and how to repair it, how to remove the virus from an infected system, and ultimately how to detect it.

Viruses are usually very small programs that contain fragments of unique code. This code fragments can be used as a method of identification, or "fingerprints". Antivirus companies then combine these "fingerprints" into one large database called "virus definitions."

When an antivirus program scans your computer for viruses, it compares the contents of each file on your computer to its database of virus definitions. If it finds a match, generally a virus is present.

An estimated 200 new viruses a month are unleashed on the world. While few spread very far, the potential for data loss is high. Since antivirus programs rely on their virus definition databases of known viruses, it is crucial that users update their virus definitions (and antivirus software) on a regular basis.

How to get antivirus software
Webster University has purchased a university-wide licensing agreement for Symantec's Norton Antivirus. The Information Technology Department has tested this product and determined that it provides optimum virus protection for on-campus computers, as well as having the added feature of automatic updates of the program and virus definitions.

This agreement allows for the installation of Norton Antivirus on all University-owned desktop and laptop machines. If you need to have this software installed on your office computer, please call Help Desk at X5995 to place a work order, or email support@webster.edu. Unfortunately, this licensing agreement does not provide for home use.