If a customer’s computer is infected with viruses or spyware, DoIT Repair may be able to help clean the machine. However, the general Help Desk should first help the customer determine whether the computer is infected and how severe the problem may be. We recommend a scan with Windows Defender or Trend Micro (if either is functioning).

Important note: Please be aware that scammers still have the ability to imitate Windows Defender and other anti-virus programs.

1. Verify that the customer has current anti-virus software installed.

   • If not installed, the customer should look at the Virus Information Center and activate Windows Defender or install Trend Micro as described in the document.

   • Verify that anti-virus software is current. Please see Trend Micro - Installing Trend Micro AV on Your Personally Owned macOS Device. Note: students do not have access to Trend Micro, only staff and faculty. Otherwise, customers can choose from antiviruses here: Security - Available Antivirus Software for Personally Owned Devices.

2. Have the user perform a scan using one of the following services:

   • Virus - HouseCall's Free Online Virus Scan

If this scan fails to remove all of the viruses or spyware, the customer should be referred to the onsite help desk. The computer may need to be checked in to Repair for a period of roughly 2-3 business days while technicians clean the machine up.

Note: If the computer is not manufactured by Apple or Dell, Repair may not have access to the recovery disks and drivers necessary for their work. As such, it is very important that the user locate his or her original operating system or recovery disk CDs if possible before checking the computer into repair for virus removal.

Additional/Optional Troubleshooting

If a customer would like to try to remove the infection on their own, the following steps may be helpful:

1. Scan with whatever anti-virus program the customer has installed and remove all viruses it finds.
2. Scan with Spybot - Search & Destroy to remove any spyware or malware which may remain on the machine.
   • If you do not already have Spybot-S&D installed, you should download and install it.
   • Once installed, the customer should update Spybot and run a full scan.
3. Finally, the customer may wish to scan again with an online scan, as described above. If this scan comes back clean, the system may be free of viruses and spyware.

If these steps fail, the machine will almost certainly need to be checked in to Repair. Please consult with HDQA before telling a customer to bring their machine to service desk. Gather the Virus or Malware Handling Information and provide customer with their ticket number. They can refer to this number when they get to the service desk.

Android OS Users

In recent months, the popularity of the Android OS has exposed a number of security exploits. Some app developers have taken advantage of these exploits to install malware on Android devices. If a customer indicates they use an Android device, please direct them to install AVG Free Antivirus for Android from the Google Play Store. If the scan fails to find any threat and the customer gets flagged for malware again, the only course of action is to restore the device to factory settings. We do not have the resources to check in Android devices into Repair at this time.