Computer Security
First, a video message from HackerG:
2007 Computer Security Awareness Video Contest
Honorable Mention: Peter Marshall, University of North Texas
copyright Peter Marshall
Runtime: 0:02:18
Computer Security 101
Computers are so ubiquitous these days that we often think of them like appliances like phones or toasters, which in many ways they are. However, a computer's value to is often greater than insurance value of the machine itself. It is important to understand what is valuable about a computer and how that value can be lost or stolen in order to be safe in this increasingly digital world.
What do I have of value?
Personal Data:
You may be surprised to learn that colleges and universities are a big target for those looking for data for financial gain. Outside of financial institutions, colleges are the biggest collectors of the kind of data used in Identity Theft. This data includes, but is not limited to, Social Security Numbers, birth dates, credit card and bank account numbers. All of these pieces of data in the wrong hands can ruin a person's credit rating and cause them to spend a great amount of time and money to clear up.
Your Work:
You've spent hours on that budget in Excel, days on that report for the boss, years on your Master's Thesis. What happens if your hard drive dies?
Processing Power:
"Malware" which includes viruses, adware and worms, can compromise your computer and allow others to use some of its processing time off to the malware creators to use for whatever their needs might be. Your machine might be giving you annoying pop-ups advertising all sorts of things you don't want, or it might start happily sending off SPAM to the rest of the computing universe without your knowledge. Often the only symptom of malware is a sudden decrease in computing speed as your computer tries to keep up with the demands of the malware program at the same time it works for you.
How to Secure Your Valuables
Lock Your Doors:
Passwords are your first line of defense. Make them strong, therefore hard to "crack". Eight or more characters is recommended. Include letters, numbers and special characters and use UPPER and lower case letters. DO NOT use your pet's or spouse's name or remind yourself of that difficult password by putting in on a post-it note on your monitor. J
Hide the Keys:
DO NOT SHARE YOUR PASSWORD WITH ANYONE, even Technical Support Services. Each user on the network has a specific set of permissions that allows them access to certain areas of data. Giving out your password is like giving the keys to your safe deposit box to someone.
Put Your Valuables in a Safe Place:
Save valuable data only in secure locations. The network N: drive is open to anyone with a faculty or staff logon, so if you have personal identifiable data that must be saved, put it in your group's O: drive or your home directory. Never save it to your local hard drive, that is too easily compromised especially if your hard drive is a laptop and it happens to get lost or stolen. NEVER save valuable data on an unsecured portable device. If you must have your data portable, please check with TSS on ways to do this.
Close the Windows:
Use a password protected screen saver on your machine so your logon cannot be used by anyone else if you walk away from your machine for a moment. Better yet, log off before you walk away.
Don't Trust Strangers (and may sure that's really your friend sending that attachment):
- Don't open attachments you aren't expecting (check with known senders to make sure they really sent something, "spoofing" another's email address is easy).
- Don't click on links in emails either. They may contain malware.
- Don't download or install software not related to your function at the college.
- Don't install "Free Helper Software." It's likely to be malware.
- Don't give strangers any information OR access to your data.
- Take great care when surfing the web.
Backup Your Data:
We recommend backing up your important data to your network drive(s). Call TSS at 6627 if you need assistance.
Ask for Help:
- Report lost or stolen computers or data immediately.
- If your computer is suddenly slow, let us know (Call TSS at 6627)
- If you're not sure if that email is legitimate, please ask.
- If you're not sure if you should install that software, please ask.
- If you have any questions, please ask.
phone: (360-867) x6627
email: support@evergreen.edu
web: www.evergreen.edu/support
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