Virus and malware protection

Purpose

Malicious software, including viruses, worms, trojans, and malware, can corrupt or compromise your data, steal credentials and passwords, and impact the performance of your computer systems.

Audience

faculty researchers Admin staff IT staff students

Initial considerations

For individuals using University equipment or handling institutional data, please do not install or use products by Kaspersky Lab.

For individuals using University equipment, please do not install and/or use free tier third-party anti-virus/malware software. A suitable solution should be installed and managed for you.

SentinelOne Project

SentinelOne is a cross-platform, next-generation anti-virus solution available to various units across the University.
- https://isea.utoronto.ca/services/endpoint-protection-program/sentinelone-project/
Please contact your local IT group to determine if you are eligible for a SentinelOne end-point protection license.
- Contact us | Information Technology (IT)

What can I do?

Install antivirus and antimalware software (end-point protection).

Ensure that your antivirus and antimalware software is up to date.

Windows

Microsoft Defender (included with Windows).
- Install and/or enable Microsoft Defender.
  - Installing Microsoft Defender - Microsoft Support
- Ensure that “real-time protection” is enabled.
  - Stay Protected With the Windows Security App - Microsoft Support
- Contact your local IT group for additional assistance.
  - Contact us | Information Technology (IT)

MacOS

XProtect (included with MacOS).
- Pre-installed, enabled, and updated by default.
  - Protecting against malware in macOS
- Contact your local IT group for additional assistance.
  - Contact us | Information Technology (IT)

Linux

Various options.
- Contact your local IT group for additional assistance.
  - Contact us | Information Technology (IT)
- Common solution(s) include:
  - https://www.clamav.net/

Android, iOS

Due to the nature of mobile operating systems (known as “sandboxing”), antivirus and antimalware software can have limited effectiveness.

For mobile devices, it is particularly important to:
- Install an effective ad-blocker.
  - Safe web browsing
- Keep your mobile operating system up to date.
  - Updates and patching
- Do not jailbreak or root devices. Do you use pirated software or side-load software from outside of the Google Play or Apple Store.
  - Baselines and configurations | Avoid removing software restrictions imposed by the manufacturer on your device.
- Be careful when granting permissions to mobile apps.

Avoid using untrusted software.

Do not install or use pirated software on devices with access to institutional data.
Do not sideload software onto mobile devices which bypass the Apple or Google Play Store, as they not subject to scans which flag potential harm.

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Additional help

General

Contact us | Information Security (IS)

Contact us | Information Technology (IT)

Researchers

Research Information Security - Information Security at University of Toronto

Information Security Handbook