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Since 1996, the University has provided free Anti-Virus software to
all members of the UCLA community for use on their home computers through the Bruin On Line program. The current Anti-Virus program being
distributed is Sophos Version 6, from Sophos,
Plc.
In November of 2006, Bruin On Line discontinued support for
the early version of the product, Sophos Version 3. Unfortunately, this older version is still
in wide use on home and laptop computers, and these machines are thus no
longer receiving updated virus definitions, leaving them vulnerable
to the newest viruses.
So how can you tell if you're running the new version of
Sophos on your Windows PC? If you look
in the "tray" in the lower right side of your computer screen, you'll see a
clock and some small icons. The Sophos
icon will be either a "Blue Flower", like this:
or a "Blue Shield", like this:
If you have the "Blue Shield" icon, then Sophos
version 4 or later is already installed, and you're in good shape.
If however, you have the "Blue Flower" icon, then you
have version 3 of the Sophos software, and you must immediately upgrade to
the most current version !
Upgrading is easy.
Just login to your PC using an Administrator account, start up a
browser, and use it to download the new version directly from Bruin On
Line. You can click here to go directly to the
download page, or use this link:
http://www.bol.ucla.edu/software/sophos/
You will need to authenticate to Bruin On Line in
order to access the installation program. Once you've downloaded the it, run it. Your older Sophos version will be
uninstalled automatically, and the new version will be installed. You will be prompted to reboot your computer
during the installation process.
Once the installation successfully completes, you will see
the "Blue Shield" icon in your tray.
If you're running an Anti-Virus product other than Sophos,
it's not necessary to do any of this.
Any Anti-Virus package from a major vendor will provide reasonable
protection to your PC. Note that one
and only one Anti-Virus program can be used on a computer.
Note also that Sophos is available for a variety of
platforms, including the Macintosh, Linux, Solaris, OS/2, and even DOS. All of these can be downloaded from the
Bruin On Line server.
If you're unsure of your Anti-Virus status, or need some
help getting the newest Sophos installed on your home machine, we're happy to give you a
hand. Just drop us a line at bugs@math.ucla.edu or call us in the
Computer Consulting Office at (310) 206-5359.
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