Carnegie Mellon University

Compromised Computer

If you suspect your computer has already been compromised:

  • If your computer crashes
  • If your Adobe Reader, Acrobat, or web browser crashes when opening a PDF file
  • If your computer is experiencing unexplainable disk activity
  • If your computer is experiencing unexpected and unexplainable performance degradation

STOP! Immediately take the following steps:

  1. Disconnect from the network - turn off wireless or unplug the wired network cable.
  2. Discontinue use of the machine but DO NOT power off.
  3. Contact the Information Security Office at (412) 268-2044 or iso-ir@andrew.cmu.edu or your departmental computing administrator/DSP consultant for further instructions.
These steps are excerpted from Responding to a Compromised Computer.