More than half of all students who download or file-share unlicensed files from the Internet experience viruses on their computers, a recent survey by the Business Software Alliance showed. AU has taken measures to prevent the spread of viruses among computers on campus, including requiring students to use Cisco Clean Access on their computers.
The survey, published Sept. 19, showed that of the 1,092 students interviewed, 55 percent had viruses or spyware problems associated with illegal file sharing, 20 percent suffered hard-drive crashes and 18 percent lost files or important data.
"I have a Mac and they are protected pretty well, they won't let you download unless it is safe," said Janet Nankung, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. "But I probably will download an external hard drive just to be safe."
Cisco Clean Access, for example, performs a "health check" to ensure computers on AU's network meet basic minimum security requirements, according to the Office of Information Technology's Web site.
"CCA makes sure that the tools and software that stop viruses are present and functioning correctly on a user's computer," Eric Weakland, director of network security, said in an e-mail. "Basically, CCA makes sure your computer is configured in a secure fashion, which decreases the chance you will get a virus."
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PENALTIES AT AU
Although many students surveyed by the Business Software Alliance were not worried about being caught by authorities for illegal downloading, this action does carry penalties. The sanctions at AU include: *Temporary or permanent loss of Internet access privileges *University judicial sanctions as prescribed by student, faculty or staff behavioral codes, including dismissal or termination from the university *Remedial education *Monetary reimbursement to the university or other appropriate sources *Prosecution under applicable civil or criminal laws The code also states, "The university will take any action that in its sole discretion is necessary to investigate and address violations of this policy, including temporarily or permanently terminating computer use privileges pending the outcome of an investigation or a finding that this policy has been violated." SOURCE: AU computing policy |
"These viruses tend to be socially engineered," Weakland said in the e-mail. "They trick a person into clicking or executing something that harms their computer."
The Office of Information Technology publishes awareness posters, a guide called the "Getting Connected Guide" and, where appropriate, encourages customers in all its publications to beware of online threats, according to Weakland.
Additional results also revealed that only 30 percent of the students surveyed were concerned about viruses and spyware, and 27 percent were concerned about being fined by authorities for downloading copyrighted material.
When told the results of the survey, David Hocherman, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said, "90 percent of the people who download illegally don't know what they're doing ... opening things they shouldn't open."
Hocherman also said he is an avid downloader.
"Just about everything I have is illegal - from my operating system to my music and games," he said.
Hocherman said he does has illegally downloaded material on his computer because he is not afraid of being prosecuted.
"You just have to have common sense about what you download and what you open," he said.
The fear of downloading content that could potentially crash computer hard drives, does not halt Chris DiPrima, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs from downloading the material.
"I generally do not have a problem with spyware," DiPrima said. "But I'm a computer geek, so I can generally solve all my own [computer] problems"
