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Virus scare occurs on Vandenberg computer
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A real world virus scare occurred on a computer used for Public Affair customer service located in Bldg 12000 on Sept. 10.
"It started by duplicating a file all over my desktop," said Senior Airman Nichole Roberts, a 30th Public Affairs photographer. "When it first happened I didn't know what was going on, but then it hit me to disconnect it from the LAN (local area network) because it might be a virus."
Physically disconnecting the computer from the local area network is the first action people should take when a possible virus is attacking their computer.
"The Airman that responded did exactly what they are supposed to do in those situations," said Staff Sgt. Danny Twyman, 30th Space Communications Squadron wing information assurance manager.
Another important measure that Airman Roberts took was to contact her Information Systems Security officer.
"It is important to tell someone so the origin of the virus can be determined and the problem can be fixed," Sergeant Twyman said. "Figuring out what happened on one computer helps prevent it from others."
Every computer on the installation should have a checklist for how to respond to computer viruses and what to do if a classified system is under attack.
"People should review these checklists so they are familiar with the steps," Sergeant Twyman said. "It could be potentially dangerous to an entire network of computers if a virus isn't responded to properly."