Thursday, March 6, 2008
When Brendan Staunton, San Diego freshman, came back from winter break, his computer had crashed. He took it to ResNet and called Dell several times before taking it to Geek Squad, the technical support group at Best Buy.
Staunton said the first thing the Geek Squad employee asked him was whether or not he lived in the residence halls and had Sophos Antivirus installed on his computer.
When KU students sign up for Internet access from the residence halls and other on-campus housing, they are required to install Sophos Antivirus in order to connect.
Photo Illustration.
According to ResNet’s Web site, the University uses the Sophos program because ResNet volunteers are trained in dealing with it, and can therefore offer free technical support, and because it updates with the latest virus information.
According to Sophos’ Web site, 1.5 million faculty, staff, and students use their software in an American university setting.
Jennifer Torode, public relations manager for Sophos Plc., said the University reported a 99 percent installation and use success rate with Sophos users. She said that occasionally glitches happened.
Torode also encouraged students having problems to talk to ResNet.
Bill Myers, director of assessment and outreach for information services, said that ResNet only knew of three Sophos-related problems out of around 4,000 subscribers.
He said that fewer than one percent of ResNet users have reported problems with Sophos.
Myers also said that the University has been using Sophos for about five years. He said the reasons for the University picking Sophos was that it ran better in tests against other antivirus programs like Norton and McAfee, detected some viruses that other programs didn’t and took up less space than other programs.
He also emphasized the importance of having an antivirus program.
“Requiring a standard anti-virus package helps ensure the security of the network for everyone,” Myers said.
Not all students are impressed with Sophos, though.
Staunton said that even the person he talked to at ResNet said Sophos was a “bad program.” He wanted to install another antivirus program like Norton Anti-Virus, but ResNet would not allow multiple antivirus programs to run.
“I don’t know everything about computers, but I was a little shocked when I took it in to get it fixed and even the people who were working for ResNet were saying that it is a huge problem,” Staunton said.
Tim Taylor, Chicago freshman, still does not have Internet access on his computer.
After taking it to ResNet several times, Taylor said that he could download Sophos, but it wouldn’t complete the checks required to actually complete the installation.
“I think that they should find some other way to make it easier for us to get Internet,” Taylor said.
Amber Nelson, Denver freshman, said that a lot of her friends, including Taylor and Staunton, have had problems with ResNet. After she and her friends went to Geek Squad twice, she got a surprising answer.
“I asked if Sophos was bad and he gasped because I guess it is that bad,” Nelson said.
Staunton said that when he took his computer in to Geek Squad, they immediately guessed that Sophos was the problem, and said that they get computers that crash because of Sophos all the time.
“They shouldn’t make us do Sophos, it’s ridiculous,” Taylor said.
Ryan Zindorf, an employee of Geek Squad, said that Sophos does not offer full protection against virus.
Zindorf said that Sophos watches what you’re doing and warns you if something is trying to install, but doesn’t scan files or remove existing viruses.
The best way to protect against viruses, Zindorf said, is to install a licensed copy of an antivirus program like Norton and pair it with a spyware remover like SpySweeper. Those programs watch, protect, and remove harmful things.
Students should always watch what they download, and where they download from, Zindorf said. Peer-to-peer file sharing programs like Limewire and Morpheus can be dangerous, since you don’t always know where the files are coming from or what they are.
—Edited by Jared Duncan
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Comments
richie09 (anonymous) says...
The problem with letting students purchase their own anti-virus is that they will not update it and then it will be just like having no anti-virus at all.
I agree, Sophos is not perfect, but then again, no anti-virus is. There are always going to be some complications with programs such as these considering the large possibility of computer configurations.
I have used Sophos for several years now and have had no problems. I would wager that the people having problems are the ones that are computer illiterate and and try to have both sophos and the free copy of McAfee that came with their new Dell laptop.
March 6, 2008 at 12:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CatBurglerV8 (anonymous) says...
I'm not knocking anti-virus companies but one I have had real good luck with is Avast. You might want to check into Avast I think it's pretty good unobtrusive and smooth.
CatBurglerV8
March 6, 2008 at 7:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Cjhickerson (Chris Hickerson) says...
I am not a Sophos fan. It is a dirty program that never runs a clean uninstall. The best option I have found is AVG. It is free and does everything that Sophos does. It also automatically updates every day, solving the "students not updating" problem.
March 6, 2008 at 8:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawkc2 (anonymous) says...
I really like how they ask the Best Buy employee and he has to plug SpySweeper and Norton. Both are pieces of crap and if you think Sophos doesn't provide protection, would rather it be less protected or have your computer crawl cause that's what Norton has done to any computer I've seen it on.
Sophos isn't that bad and CAN remove viruses if you know what you are doing. It's always funny that people complain that it doesn't remove it automatically but then you think about if it did. Say a virus or something got in the word document of the 20 page paper you were working on and didn't back up, would you want Sophos to just delete it without asking? (I realize that this is unlikely but you never know) Probably not..
If you aren't doing stupid stuff on your computer then Sophos shouldn't be a problem at all. If you are having problems with it contact ResNet instead of running to Geek Squad. True they might be slow to getting back to you, but you are paying for their service and should be able to help you out. Unless of course you like getting ripped off for stupid pointless stuff you can Google and figure out yourself.
March 6, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
computerjournalismrocks (anonymous) says...
This is why technology-based articles should be written by those with a knowledge of the subject. It's amazing how much libel you are willing to let through into the paper. Consulting a couple of freshmen and a "Geek Squad" employee does not constitute expertise. I assure you, the information given by Ryan Zindorf is false and incomplete.
I'm sure the Sophos representatives would love to hear that their software "does not offer full protection against virus." This claim that it does not "scan files" or "remove existing viruses" is completely false. Anyone who has installed Sophos on their residence hall system and payed sufficient attention would know that it has the capability to scan your system's physical drives for existing viruses and malware. It can even be configured to do so daily, if you wish. Sophos is just as competent as the other antivirus programs mentioned which "watch, protect, and remove harmful things" (to use the article's wording).
The article does not seem to outline any of the alleged "bugs" in Sophos. It appears only to slander the program while implying that Resnet's internet activation system has issues. The latter of which is a much more viable claim. The resnet system does only support Sophos antivirus, and it does have incompatibilities with system setups from time to time. I personally run a fairly rare operating system (A 64-bit vesion of Windows XP), and was unable to use the automated system to activate my account in both the Fall 07 and Spring 08 semesters. However, after a two fairly-short consulations each time, I was able to have the automated system check bypassed and my Internet connection activated. In my case, just as in that of the freshman from the article, the software would install correctly, update, and scan my system, but the checks would not pass. The Resnet's buggy system was the issue, but a little bit of troubleshooting and patience allowed me to get past the whole issue.
Also, while this might not be very in-line with the Resnet Terms of Service, there is no enforcement of Anti-virus software rules after connection activation. Once you have completed the automated system check, there is nothing stopping you from using Norton Antivirus or whatever other solution you prefer. ResNet cannot have any real say over what software you run on your system.
(To be continued)
March 6, 2008 at 10:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
computerjournalismrocks (anonymous) says...
I personally run no anti-virus software. This may come as a shock, but if you ask any exper on the issue, they will tell you that anti-virus software really has very little to do with network security. For Windows systems, Firewall software, such as that included with Windows XP Service Pack 2, is infinitely more important than anti-virus software, especially in an environment like the KU residence halls, where all systems are given WAN IPs. There are two ways a computer can get "infected:" user-interaction (e.g. downloading a virus on your own and running it), and explitation of running software. The first problem is only an issue if the user of the system either has malicious intent, or is incompetent in Internet safety. The latter of these two is what anti-virus software is really built to protect against. The issue of software exploits is one of data being sent to a computer which allows arbitrary code execution.
For example, sending malformed data via a network to a system running a Windows exploitable Windows service with open network ports is one way that such an exploit can be used. Systems with software or hardware firewalls are not as vulnerable to these, as the firewall does not allow incoming connections to be made to the system. Other software exploits, like the widespread GDI malformed image exploits, do their damage through unpatched applications attempting to read data avaible on the Internet (through email or the web). This can be caught by anti-virus software, but only if the anti-virus software stays up to date. Updating the exploitable application, however, will have the very same effect, making the role of anti-virus software in this moot.
Anti-virus software, then is pretty much just a package to help keep the less-than-savvy Internet user safe from themself. Sophos Anti-virus is just one of many, and contains all the features that other commercial systems have, without some of the bloat of extra features. Norton Antivirus includes a plethora of additions, including its own firewall software in some cases, but should not be considered "more compelte" than Sophos for any reason. The real issue with these freshmen's ResNet problems lies not in the required software, but in the ResNet checking system. Next time an opportunity for a technology-oriented article like this comes up, make sure it is going to have valid information when it is printed.
March 6, 2008 at 10:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
coreyo (anonymous) says...
Man, you guys really went to the experts...Resnet and Bestbuy's notoriously crappy Geeksquad...wow
March 6, 2008 at 12:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mr_economy (anonymous) says...
Wow, Best Buy as a source? Seriously? What an awful, libel-ridden piece of "journalism" (quotation marks required here).
Of course Best Buy will tell you Sophos is bad, these employees are PAID and REQUIRED by their corporate masters to peddle the software of whatever company pays them the most this week, which currently happens to be Symantec with its Norton AntiVirus.
When I was browsing through their overpriced equipment last summer, I actually heard an employee ask a mother and her college son whether he would be living in the dorms, and upon hearing an affirmative answer, the employee STILL proceeded to convince these two unsuspecting folks to spend nearly $100 on crappy Norton and Spysweeper. As the employee giddily walked off to ring up the bill, I walked over and informed these folks that Sophos Antivirus is not only available to all KU students for FREE, but that it's also required in the residence halls. $100 saved, conscience crisis averted.
As for the Sophos problems, ironically the problem is mostly caused by Windows Vista and the very Norton Antivirus that Best Buy is pushing through this awful article. Norton Antivirus modifies certain settings within Windows Vista that literally make it impossible for several pieces of software to install, one of which is Sophos. Want to blame someone for the current problems? Blame Microsoft and Symantec for making it almost impossible for an otherwise reliable piece of software to work.
March 6, 2008 at 1:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mr_economy (anonymous) says...
By the way, the FREE combination of Mozilla Firefox, AdAware, Spybot Search & Destroy, and AVG or Avast antivirus is far more reliable and potent than the Norton/Spysweeper ripoff sold at Best Buy.
Other ways to avoid viruses and spyware include...NOT BEING A FRIGGIN MORON. Seriously people, don't use p2p programs unless you know what you're doing, don't open that greeting card attachment on the email from someone you've never met, etc. Avoiding viruses is an exercise in common sense, and is not exactly difficult.
If all else fails, buy yourself a Mac.
March 6, 2008 at 1:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
turkey (anonymous) says...
What are viruses? What is spyware?
What's a blue screen of death?
Whats a genuine activation?
Wait, what are computer problems?
-Mac user
March 6, 2008 at 2:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Mackadoo (anonymous) says...
Oh, here it is! The semesterly "Bitch about ResNet and get quotes from no one who knows what they're talking about or has any useful alternative" article. Caleb, for the record, it was just awful. These, seriously, were your quotes from students?:
“I think that they should find some other way to make it easier for us to get Internet.”
“I asked if Sophos was bad and he gasped because I guess it is that bad.”
“They shouldn’t make us do Sophos, it’s ridiculous.”
It sounds like you went directly to Central Jr High and asked some 13 year olds for their opinions. "It's, like, really hard to get internet because stuff goes slow. Like, really slow. That's what my friend says, anyway."
If these were the most intelligent responses you could muster out of people about the ResNet "situation," I'd call it a non-issue. At least, until someone else writes this exact same article next semester! I'm looking forward to that one.
March 6, 2008 at 10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RyanZindorf (anonymous) says...
Even running Sophos just as well as every other Anti-Spyware and Anti-Virus program, you are still not 100% fully protected against any internet threat. Absolutely every single Removal tool is always at least five steps short from the newest baddest virus out there. When some one brings in their computer to the Geek Squad a majority of the time its A) because their computer is running slow and they think they have a possible virus infection or B) their computer is getting Blue Screen of Death or Run Errors, which could most likely be due to a virus. This is where we get into the problem I have with Sophos other than KU makes you install it. Sophos much like; Norton, CA, BitDefender, and even the free McAfee that comes on most Dells. Impact your System Resources the most. What does this mean for your computer it means the more you are protected with your AV/AS program the slower your PC will run. Small price to pay if you compare it to the alternative - $199 for Geek Squad to clean your PC. However, when I suggest possibly Running Spy Sweeper, Trend Micro, or this year the number 1 program Kaspersky. Its after the customer and I have already talked about what they want to do with the computer whether it be games, movies and music, or just a casual user. The more your computer runs the less you want your AS/Av software to take up your computers resources with out loosing the response time and amount of detection.
March 21, 2008 at 2:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RyanZindorf (anonymous) says...
If this went over your head read below.
Never run more than or Anit-Virus program at once, you will not be protected if you do. If you have any Anti-Virus before you install Sophos, uninstall completely then install Sophos.
Same goes with any Internet security program. However, I would suggest running an Anti-Virus and an Internet Security program side by side rather than an all in one program. This instead of running on HUGE program (Norton) at once you can then allow your computer to switch between two smaller programs.
Never run more than one Virus Sweep at once.
Pay for your Movies, Music, and Programs.
If you are going to use Limewire, Azureus, any file sharing software. Have the directory set to an external media source. (Flash Drive or external Hard Drive) Then run a sweep on the file itself. You can do this by right clicking on the file then hitting the option "scan for viruses."
Even after your AV/AS program runs through a sweep and Quarantines then Deletes, it a majority of the time doesn't mean it removed the virus. The tricky ones Trojan.Zlob, Trojan.Jakposh, BitDownloader, ontop of other worms and viruses. Can actually install them selves inside your computers Operating System. Thus being free from being deleted from sweeps. Be cautious when deleting, you could potentially kill the wrong thing and you computer will no longer boot up. If you can run your AV/AS program in Safe Mode. Thus shutting down any outside programs that will keep reinstalling after deletion.
Viruses are bad and can potentially steal information credit card numbers, phone numbers, passwords, any user inputed data they might find useful.
Don't trust a lot of things on the internet. Thats why they call them "Trojan" Viruses. If you don't want to pay for AV/AS protection. There are however some free ones I would suggest you take in account. Ad-Aware, Ewido, CWShrdder, Bitdeffender, and Even the free trials of the more popular ones.
Ryan Zindorf
Geek Squad Agent
Mac User
With Virtual Machine running XP protected with Kaspersky.
March 21, 2008 at 2:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
computerfixup (anonymous) says...
First off, Geek Squad Agents are not pushed to sell specific AV/AS software, mr_economy. If you'd like to apply first and work for the Geek Squad a little while, then by all means make your accusations. In this situation Geek Squad was only trying to help because obviously ResNet was having issues helping out.
Secondly, do you people persecute every person that writes an article in here? I think if a student wants to write a quick article offering his opinion then so be it. You don't see Caleb coming on here and critiquing all your posts?
Lastly, those of you recommending AVG, Ad-Aware, and the other free programs, feel free to give me a call when your free programs:
A. Do not actively protect and monitor your system because you're using the free version.
B. Do not successfully remove the items the program does actually find.
There's a reason all of the number one antivirus and antispyware programs out there are paid. You are paying for product support (which you will receive) and teams of people spending every day finding new threats in order to update your definitions. I have yet to see any free program stand up to the paid version of Spyware Doctor, Webroot Spysweeper with Antivirus, or Norton Internet Security.
April 4, 2008 at 5:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )