Campus News

EITS to offer free computer security checks, troubleshooting

As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, EITS will offer free computer security checks and troubleshooting Oct. 21-22 at the Computer Health and Security Fair.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days in the second floor rotunda of the Miller Learning Center. It is open free to all UGA students, faculty and staff.

During the fair, technical volunteers will conduct security checkups of personal PC and Mac laptops of UGA students, faculty and staff. The technical volunteers will remove malware, install the latest software and security updates, ensure that firewalls are enabled and update antivirus and operating systems. Volunteers also will examine other software problems, such as slow performance and unknown error messages. Hardware repairs will not be offered.

This fall, the fair will have a separate line for faculty and staff seeking help for their personal computers, to move them through the checkup process faster.

At the fair, technical volunteers will handle requests on a first-come, first-served basis. Comprehensive health and security checkups can take between 30-60 minutes, and at times, there may be a short wait prior to visiting with a technician. For issues that will take more than an hour to resolve, technical volunteers will give fair attendees instructions on how to fix those issues.

University-issued computers will not be checked at the event.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and students, faculty and staff are encouraged to take steps to keep their computers secure and safe from malware, viruses and phishing attacks throughout the year. More tips on staying secure are available on the Office of Information Security’s website, infosec.uga.edu.