Computer Security

Computer Security is more important than ever.  With computer fraud and identity theft becoming more and more common it is vital that you take precautions to protect yourself, and for us to protect the rest of the network.  If there is a possible threat, residents might temporarily lose internet access until it can be resolved. This makes it very important that you protect yourself and follow these few guidelines.

Anti-Virus

The best antivirus clients are ones that auto update and have real time protection (always running in the background looking for problems).  In the residence halls residents are required to have some form of this antivirus.  However, if you do not, we offer Symmantec Antivirus free of charge.

To download, simply right click on the link below, and save the file to your desktop, and install it. Be sure to uninstall your old antivirus software before installing Symantec Antivirus. If you do not remove the old antivirus the two may conflict leaving you unprotected.

• Download Symantec AntiVirus Package - Windows Vista*

    Installation Instructions:

        1). Download the zip file and extract it

        2). Double-Click Setup.exe

• Download Symantec AntiVirus Package - Windows XP/2000

• Download Symantec AntiVirus Home Edition - Apple OS X

After you have it installed, it will automatically update the newest virus definitions.

*We do not currently provide Symantec Antivirus for 64 bit Vista, but we can provide other options.

Create a Strong Password

A strong password is at least 8 characters and has a mix of lower case letters, uppercase letters, and numbers.  Don't just have a strong password, use it!  Make sure when your computer is not in use  it is locked (password protected). Remember, things that happen on your computer and network connection are your responsibility.

A tip for creating a good password is to create a saying design a password around it. To make it a strong password swap out some letters for numbers.  For example “I always practice smart computer security!” could become “I4psComps!”.

Personal Information

Myspace and facebook are wonderful tools to keep in touch with people all around the world. The downside to the ability to share information is people you don't want to may be able to gain access to your information..  Make sure not to post anything you wouldn’t want the entire world to know.  Things like your address and phone number should be kept private.  For added protection set your security settings so that only your friends can view what you post. You may also want to keep in mind that the pictures you post on Facebook and Myspace, unless you set your privacy settings, can be viewed by anyone. Every year more and more people are facing the consequences of having inappropriate pictures of themselves posted on the internet.

Watch What You Click

Be careful when clicking, if you don't know who or what sent it to you don't click on it. Phishing is a very common way for people to try to get your personal information.  If you get an e-mail from PayPal or E-Bay account (common targets, but there are many others), it may be from somebody trying to get your personal information.  They will typically give you a web address link to click on to enter in your information. Instead of clicking the link enter the website on your own, do not just click on the link.

Even if you think you know who sent it be cautious, it may be a hacker who got the companies information.  So, make sure you know who is sending things to you before you click on it.  This is one of the most common ways to get infected with a virus or spyware.  Just make sure you know what it is before clicking.  If you aren’t sure, don’t click on it.

Freeware?

When browsing the internet it is very common to find all sorts of free programs.  Sometimes they are valid programs, but more often they are infected with spyware or adware.  This can be very destructive to your computer and create security issues.  It is important to make sure you know what the program does, that it is from a reliable source, and that it is not infected with anything.  Be sure that after you download something you do a virus and spware scan to make sure that you are not infected. These include, but are not limited to: file-sharing programs, appearance changing programs (screen savers, cursor changing), and toolbars.

Updates

Whether it is Windows or Mac OS X updates, it is vary important you make sure you are getting the most up-to-date software for your computer.  There are constant patches and security fixes released that will help keep your computer safe.  This is also true for other software as well; if you keep it up-to-date you are insuring you have the best possible version of that software.