During the summer months, we have seen an increase in the number of computer desktops becoming infected on a daily basis. In order to limit exposure, computers that are infected must be immediately removed from the campus network until they can be remediated by a staff member of the Information Technology Services department. Depending upon the severity and nature of the infection, it may take one to two weeks to fully clean your computer and get it back to you. In preparation for the start of the fall semester, here are some things that you can do to help prevent an infection on your desktop and to protect your information:

• Do not store personally identifiable information (social security numbers, financial account numbers) on your desktop – in documents, spreadsheets, or email.
• Use Royal Drive to store personally identifiable information and any data files that you would need to continue to perform your job on a day-to-day basis if you do not have access to your desktop.
• Use Internet Explorer for accessing University systems only.
• Use the Firefox web browser with Adblock Plus for all other web browsing. Avoid the following areas of the Internet while using your University desktop — websites related to gambling, hacking, warez (illegal software), adult content, and social networking. The risk of infection to your system is particularly high from these types of sites.