Antivirus & Malware Information

Antivirus Information

All students connecting to any part of the Methodist University network with a Windows-based computer are required to maintain a current, automatically updated antivirus solution on their computer.

Options for Windows Machines

For Windows computers we recommend the built-in Windows Defender antivirus.

Options for Apple MacOS:

• Sophos for Mac
• AVG for Mac

Malware Information

What Is Malware?

• Malware (sometimes called spyware) refers to hostile or intrusive software, including computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, ransomware, spyware, adware, scareware, and other malicious programs.
• It can take the form of executable code, scripts, active content, and other software.
• If enough malware is present on your machine, you may have trouble accessing the internet.
• There are products available, many of which are free, which will help control malware on your machine.

We Recommend the Following Free Programs:

• Ad-Aware Free – Lavasoft Web Site.
• Malwarebytes Free –  Malwarebytes Web Site.

Tips to Avoid Malware

• Avoiding spyware takes some discipline and practice.
• When downloading and installing programs (especially free programs) you must read each of the installation screens carefully. Read each screen as it is presented and uncheck anything you do not specifically want installed during the installation process.
• Additionally, you should only download programs from reputable sites.
• Be careful when clicking links on Facebook and other websites.
• Be careful when clicking links or opening attachments in email.