Since April 8, the Arkansas Department of Information Systems (DIS) and the State Security Office have been battling a serious threat to the state computer network.
The threat has been identified by primary virus protection vendors as W32/GAOBOT.Worm.Gen.D. This worm activity has created network connectivity issues. Infected devices scan the network to find other devices that may be open to the same vulnerabilities. For public schools, this worm has impacted network connectivity to APSCN Pentamation and Internet resources. DIS has been blocking vulnerable ports in an attempt to stop the virus.
DIS is contacting agencies and schools with suspected infected machines to assist in a remedy to the situation. In most cases, DIS will contact the district Technology Coordinator or Network Administrator. If a school or cooperative is contacted by DIS, they should shut down and disconnect the suspected machines from the network immediately.
The threat to the state network is so serious that DIS has had to take organizations completely offline in order to protect and support agencies providing critical services. DIS is requesting that all personal computers be turned off every night and over the weekend. Shared printers connected to the network should also be shut down and disconnected from the network. Instructions for cleaning devices, current Microsoft patches, and anti-virus software definitions can be obtained from: http://www.itsecurity.state.ar.us/secoffice/status.htm
One protection against all viruses is to use a “strong” password. That is a password that is not any word in the dictionary; it is totally a random combination of both letters and numbers and must be eight characters. The password should use a combination of upper and lower case letters.
Do not open any attachments to messages from persons unknown or from a known individual if the message line appears to have an unusual content.
The Department of Education cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of protecting access to the state network. Please proceed with due diligence and prevent these assaults on the state’s information network.