Virus Brings Down NIC Computers

On the afternoon of Feb. 2, an unwelcome and destructive digital guest made its way onto the North Idaho College campus. That day, a computer virus began popping up around campus, and soon spread in an outbreak that lingered for nearly three weeks, bringing teams of computer technology specialists to the vanguard of the electronic realm. “The question people always ask is, ‘Well how did it get here?’ And we don’t know that,” said Steve Ruppel, the college’s information technology director. “We wish we did, but in a sense it doesn’t matter anyway, because once it gets in, it spreads very quickly.” How quickly? Within days after the first signs of infection, an estimated 90 percent of the college’s 1,200 faculty and staff computers had been infected – only the Apple Macintosh computers came through unscathed/ Jacob Livingston , SR Handle Extra.

Question: What is the worst havoc caused by a virus to your home or office computer?