Another Tech Tip of the Week: Fake Anti-Virus Warnings

From the IT Group:

Recently, some users on campus have received a pop-up on their computer indicating they have a virus. This pop-up is a fake virus warning and will infect your computer if you click OK, click the red X to close it or perhaps even move your mouse anywhere over the box.

If you ever receive a suspicious pop-up, do not click on the red X to close it or move your mouse anywhere over the warning box. These malicious pop-ups are becoming more and more savvy and require very little or no effort on your part to infect your computer. If you do receive a fake anti-virus pop-up, the best chance to avoid infecting your computer is to end the task. Simply press control-alt-delete to bring up the Task Manager. Click on the Applications Tab, find the name you see in the title bar of the pop-up, click on that application to highlight it and click the End Task button on the bottom. This is the best way to close the pop-up and reduce the risk of infecting your computer.

If this box continues to reappear, your computer begins to run very slowly or you are pretty sure your computer is infected, contact the HelpDesk and we will be happy to help you get your computer back in good condition.