Have worm? University upgrades network
Sean Donelan
sean at donelan.com
Thu Nov 27 22:39:55 UTC 2003
After sending out e-mails and notifying students, Dartmouth College
has started to disconnect virus-infected computers.
http://www.thedartmouth.com/article.php?aid=2003112001020
The service denials come after Computing Services sent out a campus-wide
e-mail earlier this month announcing that over 2000 student computers
were infected with the Welchia worm virus which was causing severe lag
on the campus network. That e-mail instructed students in the steps
required to diagnose and, if necessary, treat their computers for the
virus.
"Should the network's performance continue to suffer, we will be forced
to deny access to machines that are abusing, however unintentionally,
the network," the Nov. 6 e-mail warned. "We do not want to turn off your
network access but we will to protect the integrity of the network."
On the other hand, California State-Long Beach is planning to upgrade
its network to deal with the worms.
http://www.csulb.edu/~d49er/archives/2003/fall/news/volLIVno49-dorm.shtml
Stan Olin, director of housing, said they are doing the best they can to
get the problem fixed. Housing and network staff has been working around
the clock to resolve the problem. Seven dorm residents are included in
this team. They aid in tracking down infected computers and are
responsible for ensuring students have access to the network.
More than 200 infected computers have been identified. Housing notified
students through voicemail and other means that anti-virus software is
available in the hall offices. Depending on the hardware the student
has, the software takes less than 30 minutes to remove the worms.
Elson Browne, assistant director of housing, is finding that students
are "not taking advantage of free resources." On the contrary, a
freshman who requested anonymity said she tried installing the software
but found it incompatible with Microsoft Windows XP. She said she now
considers the situation "a lost cause."
[...]
The entire campus is in the process of switching to a new network,
however, the dormitories were not included in the first phase of the
process. The housing department said it was planning to upgrade sooner
or later but due to the urgency, it is pushing for a complete upgrade
by next semester.
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