Sophos Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a list of commonly asked questions concerning Sophos Endpoint with InterceptX.

If you have any questions about the software and how to install or operate Sophos that is not in the Windows Instructions, Mac Instructions or Linux Instructions, and that is not answered below, refer to your local IT Support or contact the Service Desk.

Problems with a departmental or college computer should generally be referred to your local IT Support staff.

Where do I obtain the software?
I am a retired member of staff - can I still get a copy of Sophos for my device?
How do I uninstall Sophos?
What versions are available?
What are the system requirements for installing Sophos?
Do I need to uninstall other Anti-Virus products before installing Sophos?
How do I check that Sophos is installed and running correctly?
How do I keep Sophos up to date?
What if Sophos finds a virus?
I'm running Linux. Is there an auto-updating client?
I cannot find the answer to my issue online - where can I get support?
1. Sophos Endpoint Self Help tool
Further documentation

Where do I obtain the software?

Sophos Endpoint with InterceptX for Windows and macOS can be obtained via the Software Registration and Download site.

Sophos no longer offers a Linux client.

I am a retired member of staff - can I still get a copy of Sophos for my device?

Entitlement to Sophos Endpoint can be found via the card entitlement page.

Retired members of staff are no longer entitled to download Sophos Endpoint via the University Self-Registration page. However, Sophos Home can be downloaded as a 30 trial to protect all the computers owned by members of the University with the retired card status.

What versions are available?

We are currently distributing Sophos Endpoint for InterceptX for Windows version 10.8.3, Sophos Anti-Virus for mac OS version 9.9.2 and Sophos Anti-Virus for Linux version 9.

What are the system requirements for installing Sophos?

System requirements for Windows

System requirements for macOS

System requirements for Linux

For all system requirements please see Sophos's index.

Do I need to uninstall other Anti-Virus products before installing Sophos?

It is generally not recommended to have two Anti-Virus products installed at the same time. Sophos have documentated information on installing Sophos products alongside a competitor's software. If you currently have a different Anti-Virus product installed on your machine, we recommend uninstalling it before installing Sophos. You should be able to check with the product vendor as to how to do this.

How do I check that Sophos is installed and running correctly?

Windows

If you see a blue and white shield icon in the Windows system tray (usually bottom-right of the screen, near the clock) then Sophos is running properly. This may be hidden in the wider system tray.

macOS

On macOS the shield appears in the system status bar (usually top-right of the screen). You can click on this icon to check the status of Sophos on your machine.

Linux

As per the Linux configuration manual, in order to check that on-active scanning is active, type: /opt/sophos-av/bin/savdstatus

How do I keep Sophos up to date?

The Sophos client updates automatically via the Internet, you don't have to update it yourself.

If you need to run a manual update, you can do so via the following methods:

For Windows - section 4

For macOS - section 5

For Linux - section 8

What if Sophos finds a virus?

Detected threats will be noted in the Sophos Endpoint status dashboard and events log. Events will be automatically cleaned up unless there is action required. This will be flagged up in the events section of Sophos Endpoint and will provide details of the manual action required in a link beside the threat details.

The number of threats detected and acted upon in Sophos Endpoint will be continually recorded on the status page unless reset. The protection summary can be reset by hitting 'Reset summary' at the bottom of the window.

I'm running Linux. Is there an auto-updating client?

As per section 5.6 of the Sophos for Linux configuration manual, Sophos Anti-Virus will update itself automatically from Sophos. By default it will do this every 60 minutes, provided that the machine is connected to the internet.

I cannot find the answer to my issue online - where can I get support?

In order to report an issue with Sophos Endpoint on your BYOD device, please speak with your local IT Support or the IT Services Service Desk. They can be contacted at https://help.it.ox.ac.uk/get-support or 01865 (2)12345. When reporting this issue it is important to include the following information:

Version of Windows/macOS/Linux
Your unique Endpoint ID
Version of Sophos

Rather helpfully, all of this information can be found within a tool Sophos provides, the Sophos Endpoint Self Help tool.

Sophos Endpoint Self Help tool

To gather the information you need to raise a support call, open the Sophos Endpoint Self Help tool. This can be opened by searching for it in your device's applications or by opening Sophos Endpoint and navigating to the 'About' section. You should then click the 'Run Diagnostic Tool' button. This will open the Sophos Endpoint Self Help tool.

This tool provides more in-depth detail into Sophos Endpoint and the background process and policies set up for this device. In this instance, please navigate to the 'System' option. You will be presented with a screen detailing system information. We recommend providing these details to the Service Desk when reporting an issue so that they have all the data required to begin an investigation.