Library computer virus infects storage devices

Nicollette Ashtiani Roundup Reporter

“When I came to the library in the morning there were a bunch of chairs lined up outside of the computer area saying that there was a virus, and not to use the computers,” said sociology major Shahtaj Khan. “They did a good job at keeping us informed, but I feel like schools should be safer with stuff like that. My trust in the library security has gone down.”

The computer lab closed early on Friday to prepare for the IT department, which worked through the weekend to remove the virus from the machines.

“We don’t know if it was intentional or not, but the virus was most likely caused by an infected USB device,” said Information

Technology manager Mark Henderson. “To my knowledge, this is a first for Pierce College computers.”

However, computers in the lab do not require a user to login to use the machine.

“The library is an open access lab,” Paggi said. “We can’t pull everyone aside and check their USB (devices). The best we can do is to recommend students to use any form of cloud storage.”

Students already have a free Microsoft OneDrive account because LACCD student email uses Microsoft Outlook.

USB storage devices are still an option, but it is much more of a risk, according to Henderson.

“If students are going to use these devices, they should get them checked and always make sure their computers are updated with antivirus software to prevent this in the future,” Henderson said.

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