As you may already know, starting last week, Temple University began experiencing a major Windows virus outbreak. This very serious event is referred to as a “Zero Day Outbreak” because antivirus protection against these viruses did not yet exist. The widespread infection was caused by a brand new set of viruses that hit Temple and 400 other organizations. Computer Services has been working around the clock to remedy the situation and has been in constant contact with Symantec Corporation to acquire effective tools to deal with the virus outbreak.

At this time, all on-campus computers directly connected to the Temple network are vulnerable. These also include systems connected to Temple's wireless network. Many students in the residence halls were impacted by these viruses and have already brought their systems to Computer Services Help Desk for remediation.

To prevent the viruses from spreading and to protect your system, you must take immediate action by updating your Symantec antivirus program to version 10.1.4.4000. Performing this upgrade is critical. To find out your current antivirus version, double-click on the yellow Symantec shield in your system tray located at the bottom right corner of your PC screen. Verify that you are running version 10.1.4.4000. If you are not running this version, go to Temple's antivirus.temple.edu website, download, and install it. If you need help with this procedure, the technical contact for your school, college, or department can assist you.

Computer Services will continue to work closely with Symantec Corporation to develop definitions and tools to eradicate the new virus variants. We will continue to keep you informed as events unfold.

Please note that Macintosh and Linux users are NOT impacted by these viruses.

If you have any questions, please contact the Computer Services Help Desk at 215-204-8000 or send e-mail to help@temple.edu. Also, please be advised that the Help Desk is receiving many calls about the outbreak, so your patience is greatly appreciated.