JANESVILLE — The computer virus that has plagued the Janesville School District's computers has been snuffed out, but problems linger, and questions remain.

The school board Tuesday night heard a report on progress.

Board member Lori Stottler, who apparently met with district officials earlier, said at a committee meeting earlier Tuesday that she was not happy with how long the computers have been malfunctioning and she is not satisfied with the answers she was given about the origins of the problem.

Stottler suggested the board hold a meeting closed to the public to discuss personnel-related questions.

Board member Kevin Murray said staff members need the tools to do their jobs, and the public needs to know that the school board knows what's going on, "so I think we've lost a little confidence there on those two fronts."

Stottler said it would be hard to know how much educational value was lost while the system was malfunctioning.

A district this large should not have this great of a computer outage, Stottler said.

One lingering problem is with computers that won't connect to printers, although many such printer links have been re-established, said Doug Bunton, director of business services.

"I think, rightfully, people should be frustrated, without a doubt," Bunton told a board committee. "I fully empathize with that."

The district has employed a consultant, Elert & Associates, as well as temporary workers in its effort to repair the virus-damaged system.

Posted by Justin Payton in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 15:42

You may relish in your undeniable popularity on Facebook (you have well over 400 friends - well done), but it's this same Facebook fame that could make you a target for cyber criminals. These virtual deviants are hijacking Facebook accounts and trying to con you out of your money by posing as a friend in grave need. So if you get a message from your mate asking you to lend him/her £500 because they're stranded in the outback or lost somewhere in the Congo, it's safe to assume that's a scam (unless that's the norm for you and your pals of course and then it becomes tricky).

Scammers have come a long way since the days of spam e-mails and phone calls from Africa requesting bank account details, which is portrayed so eloquently on Fonejacker. Computer experts have warned popular Facebook users to beware and expect to be targeted. But it's not just beseeched messages you need to be weary of - there are more innocent virus plagued messages on the loose too.

Posted by Justin Payton in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 09:27