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Have active and up-to-date anti-malware software: Anti-malware software is important in keeping your personal machine safe and usable. We believe that the default anti-virus programs on personal machines, Windows Defender and macOS built in defenses, are sufficient at keeping your laptop clean. A helpful addition would be to download a free scanning software, such as Malwarebytes, to run a full scan of your machine every week. We believe those two things in tandem should keep your computer virus free.

There are more extensive, all-in-one tools which you can purchase, often on a subscription model. If you choose such a tool, you must ensure that you keep the subscription up-to-date. If you don't, the software will stop updating itself and will be unable to detect the most recent malware releases and variations.

Pause and consider links and downloads before clicking and installing: Even trusted sources sometimes get hacked and can provide infected content. Take a moment and think about how likely it is that the action you're about to take will be safe—were you expecting that attachment? Do you really need that software to do what you're doing?

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Ask questions: If you're not sure about something, and don't know how to proceed, stop by the ITS Helpdesk or give us a call at 507-222-5999, and we will help you out.

For Help

If your computer is infected and you're not able to remove the malware, you can:

• For a Carleton-owned or student-owned computer, bring it to the ITS Helpdesk (x5999).
• For all other devices, contact a local computer repair service.

If all else fails, users may have to wipe the hard drive and do a clean install of the operating system.