Office of Campus Information Security

• About OCIS
• Awareness & Training
• Campus Initiatives
• Downloads
• Report an Incident
• Contact Us
• 
• Individual Computing
• Secure Your Computer
• Protect Your Identity
• Copyright Infringement
• Handling University Data
• 
• Departmental Computing
• Risk Assessment
• Standards & Practices
• Tools & Forms
• IT Security Principles
• More Security Resources

Scan Your Computer

Whether you already know you have a problem or are just looking for that little something extra to bring you peace of mind, a free online scanner may be just the tool you want.

An online scanner is not a substitute for a dedicated anti-virus/anti-spyware program such as Symantec AntiVirus, the free campus security software. Dedicated applications include real time protection of your computer's file system and memory, which can detect potentially malicious files even before they have a chance to run on your computer. Online scanners are run-on-demand programs. They can detect bad software that is already on your computer, but they do not provide any proactive protection.

The best online scanners today go beyond just virus and malware detection. They can also perform checks to see if your computer has the latest operating system patches, look for tracking cookies and check that a firewall is turned on.

Two good online scanners are:

• Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare
• Trend Micro's HouseCall

Note: HouseCall can run on both Windows and Macintosh OS 10 systems.

If you already know that your computer is infected, please read this Help Desk article for assistance in performing cleanup.