J. Fred Fox | reporter

For students with insecure Internet or a computer sick with viruses, Gorilla Geeks has the cure.
Pittsburg State operates a campus-wide wireless Internet service open to anyone in the vicinity of campus. In addition, those in university housing have access to a wired Ethernet connection from a wall outlet.
“I’d advise not to use the wireless connection if you are sending sensitive information over the Internet,” said Colton Montgomery, a Gorilla Geeks employee.
A computer security-savvy person could steal information like credit card or Social Security numbers from users on an unsecured wireless network like PSU’s, Montgomery says.
“You are a lot safer if you’re able to plug your computer into an Ethernet connection from the wall,” he said.
In any case, users of the network should have effective antivirus software installed on their computer, Montgomery says.
Free service from Microsoft Security Essentials is a good option. AVG Internet Security offers a free trial. Paying for antivirus software from companies such as Norton or McAfee aren’t always the best bets, though they do offer unique and convenient options and services, Montgomery says.
PSU has wireless Internet hotspots across campus that can be found on the Gorilla Geeks website. This map shows the places to get the highest strength connection.
To avoid exposure to malware, don’t click on websites or advertisements you’re not familiar with, Montgomery says. To be sure, users can usually run a check with most antivirus software by right-clicking links and opening the scan in the shortcut menu.
Slow computers may need their caches cleared. A computer’s cache is all the information that the computer remembers such as login information, passwords to websites and certain browsing history. Software such as CCleaner can remove that cache information, freeing up hard drive space.
Another trick is to defragment. This reorganizes hard-drive information and makes it easier for the computer to load it faster.
“Simply removing programs that you no longer use can really help, too,” Montgomery said.
Malware Bytes is a brand of free software that can scan your computer for troublesome malware, he says.