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Antivirus Software

Last Updated: August 16, 2022 12:07:23 PM PDT
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Find out how to get antivirus software for university-owned and personal devices.

While no antivirus software is perfect, they are effective at stopping a variety of malicious attacks on your computer. Antivirus software is required for any device running on the UC San Diego network, including personal devices.

UC San Diego-Owned Devices (Faculty and Staff Only)

Check with your local IT support and ask them about Trellix. If you do not have local IT support, Trellix is available at no cost for all university-owned devices. To receive assistance with Trellix, contact:

Devices Not Owned by the University

Anti-malware protection provided by UC San Diego is available only for UCSD-owned/ procured devices.

For personal equipment you can try the home version of Sophos available on the Sophos website. The initial installation will install a premium version free for 30 days, after which it will downgrade automatically unless you purchase the premium version. The free version is perfectly good anti-malware coverage.

Alternatively, you can try MalwareBytes or Bitdefender.

All the above have versions for Windows and MacOS, with some Linux and Android coverage as well.

If you have any other questions, please contact the Service Desk:

UC San Diego Health Employees

If you're a UC San Diego Health employee, please contact Health Service ITS for guidance and support. For immediate assistance, contact the Health Service Desk: 

Advisory re Kaspersky Labs

Kaspersky Labs security software is banned from use by the UC System.

Based on publicly available information, insight from other resources, and the actions of federal and state governments, the University of California took action to mitigate potential risk posed by the use of Kaspersky Lab products. In October 2017, Kaspersky-branded technologies, security software, and technologies with Kaspersky embedded code were banned within the UC System. In 2018, Federal grants began requiring certification that the campus network is free of Kaspersky products. It cannot be overstated that protecting our ability to accept Federal grants is highly significant. The campus offers Trellix advanced anti-malware software, for departmental use at no cost as an alternative for our community.

For more information, contact IT Services Security at security@ucsd.edu, or the IT Service Desk at servicedesk@ucsd.edu.