Antivirus Instructions

At the University of Mississippi, Sophos Intercept X Advanced is the licensed endpoint protection software. This product is licensed for use on all UM-owned workstation computers. Sophos Home will be available at a future date for UM employees to use on personal devices.

Sophos provides the following security features: virus/malware/ransomware protection, real-time scanning, and automatic updates. It is compliant with the UM antivirus policy, fully supported by the central IT Helpdesk, and recommended for all desktops and laptops running Windows or MacOS.

Installation instructions and downloads (WebID required) are documented below.

Install Sophos Intercept X Advanced on a UM Computer

    1. Do not manually uninstall Symantec, it will be removed automatically. Download Sophos for Windows.
    2. Double-click the downloaded EXE file to run the installer.
    3. Follow the prompts to complete the installation and restart the computer, if necessary. (May take 10 minutes or more to complete.)
    1. If Symantec Endpoint Protection is installed, open the client and click Symantec Endpoint Protection > Uninstall Symantec Endpoint Protection on the top menu. Otherwise proceed to step 3.
    2. Click Uninstall to begin and restart when prompted after completion.
    3. Download Sophos for MacOS.
    4. Extract the contents from the downloaded .zip file.
      If running MacOS 12.4+ you MUST extract to the user home directory (/Users/<username>/) or the installation will fail.
    5. Double-click Sophos Install in the extracted folder and follow the default installation steps.
    6. Once complete, a window will appear with instructions to allow Sophos “full disk access”. This is required in order to be fully protected.

  • Additional Information

  • Sophos Home will be available at a future date for UM employees to use on personal devices.

  • UM HIPAA covered entities are required to install an antivirus client specifically configured for compliance on all HIPAA computers. Contact the HIPAA IT Specialist for assistance with this installation.

  • After installation, check to ensure that Sophos has successfully connected and is receiving definition updates.

  • Windows Instructions:
    1. Open the Sophos endpoint agent by double-clicking the blue shield icon with an 'S' in the system tray in the bottom-right corner.
    2. Click About at the bottom-right of the Sophos window.
    3. If Sophos is communicating, 'Last update:' should be within the past 24 hours.
  • Macintosh Instructions:
    1. Click the Sophos shield icon with an 'S' on the top menu bar and press the Open Sophos Endpoint… button.
    2. Click About at the bottom-right of the Sophos window.
    3. If Sophos is communicating, 'Last update:' should be within the past 24 hours.
  • All computers with Sophos installed will get security updates immediately to protect against the latest threats. New product versions will be updated automatically.


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