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Koobface is a new computer virus that surfaced sometime during Christmas break.
Information Technology does not know for sure when the virus started, but it was first noticed as the faculty and staff returned from break, Andrew Daugherty, student technical assistant in the tech department of IT, said.
"It's a pretty serious virus, and it is definitely one of the most widespread we've seen on campus," Daugherty said.
Koobface is spread mostly through social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and possibly even Twitter. Supposedly, the virus attacks through external links posted on a person's wall or page, often connecting to a video or photo.
Sometimes the external links or videos will ask a person to update the flash player or download some kind of program that looks legitimate, Rob Ahern, desktop administrator in IT, said.
"I would be wary if you are prompted to download a program while you are on a social networking site," Ahern said. "Even if the link is from someone you know, use your instincts."
"If you're going to download flash go to the actual website, don't trust a link or a pop-up," Daugherty added.
Once a computer is infected with the Koobface virus, it weakens the system and allows for other viruses to infect the computer as well. Once a computer has Koobface, it only gets progressively worse.
The virus is known to have a few common signs, although Ahern says if you're seeing these signs, it is probably already too late.
"The first characteristic of the virus is browser hijacking. At anytime you can be redirected to a page with malicious intent, and it can actually force you to download the virus," Daugherty said. Even safe downloads like Yahoo messenger, for example, can be unknowingly redirected and begin loading Koobface onto your computer.
Daughtery said a second trait of the virus is having multiple Internet Explorers or My Documents windows opening at the same time.
"They can open upwards of 250 windows at once," Daugherty said.
"If Internet Explorer, or the 'blue e' as many people call it, begins to act funny or flaky, get it checked out quickly. If it crashes a lot or even simple Google searches get messed up, it needs to be addressed," Ahern said.
The final known characteristic of the virus is that it can taunt you by name.
"It's really creepy," Daugherty said. "It can actually say something like 'Haha, Andrew, you can't get rid of me!'"
The damages associated with Koobface are similar to other types of viruses. If taken care of quickly there may be no serious damage done to the computer, however if the computer is exposed long enough, it can completely ruin the system and crash the hard drive or other components.
"You might have to re-install windows or even get a new computer completely," Daugherty said. "But hopefully you can catch it in time and simply delete it and have your computer back to normal. The virus is only affecting Windows, it is of no danger to Macs."
The common treatment of Koobface includes running a special virus scan that can take anywhere from ten minutes to over an hour. There is no guarantee that a computer can be fixed or that the data saved on it can be restored to its original form.
Ahern calculated about 15 to 20 faculty cases so far, but is unsure of the number of student cases. Most of the computers IT has fixed have taken 15 to 20 minutes and have been restored to working condition.
Steve Kall, sophomore, is a student affected by the virus. A friend posted a link to his wall telling him to watch himself in a funny video. When Kall clicked on the link, he was prompted to update his flash player and did so. From there, he could not get the windows to close or any other programs to open.
"Internet Explorer kept opening and asking me to run and download programs that weren't even on my computer," Kall said. "I took my computer to IT and they were able to fix it for me. I've had no problems since then."
Daugherty's best advice for avoiding the devastating effects is to back up data onto an external hard drive, even if you have a Mac.
"Most hard drives come with programs to back up data with. Or you can ask IT for help or do a Google search on your own. If you do a web search, be careful of what you download, though, because it might just be a scam to download a virus," Daugherty said.
Source: http://media.www.capitalchimes.com/media/storage/paper1195/news/2010/01/21/News/Koobface.Virus.Plagues.Students-3855430.shtml
