Computer Services Tips for Safe Computing
The following recommendations should help keep your computer secured.
- Report Computer Security Issues and Viruses to the USI Computer Center Help Desk 465-1080
Remember:
- Update your Operating System regularly. Most desktop security incidents are centered on flaws in
the operating system. As these flaws are discovered, vendors release patches to cover these
security holes.
By updating your operating system you ensure it has all the latest patches.
- Right-click on My Computer. This will most likely be located in the Start menu or on your
Desktop.
- Select Properties. This will bring up a Systems Properties window.
- Click on the Automatic Updates tab.
- Select Automatic (Recommended). Choose a time every day that your computer will be on,
but you will not necessarily be using it.
- Click OK.
- Create Strong, Effective Passwords More information on passwords HERE
- Install and Update Antivirus Software. Antivirus software with up-to-date virus
definitions
(the list of viruses it can detect) is just as essential today as it has always been.
University owned desktop and laptops should have a copy of AVG, installed and
configured by Computer Center personnel. Viruses can come from:
- E-mail and instant messaging attachments.
- Infected files shared via removable storage (diskettes, CDs, Zip disks, and
other media) or over the network.
- Worms written to take advantage of unpatched systems.
- Software downloaded from the Internet.
- Wireless connections
- Do not Open Unexpected e-mail Attachments The most wide-spread types of viruses spread themselves through multiple methods. One very
common and successful trick is for a virus to send itself as an email attachment using random To: and From: addresses.
- Do not open unexpected e-mail or instant messaging attachments, even from coworkers or
other trusted sources.
- Never open attachments from an unknown or suspicious source.
- Never download freeware or shareware from the Internet unless you investigate the source.
- Disable macros on questionable documents.
- Avoid opening SPAM messages - just delete them.
- Do not assume your email is private
- E-mail messages sent over the Network can be read by others, including individuals within USI.
- Never send passwords, credit card numbers, or other access information via e-mail unless it is
encrypted.
- Remember USI owns all incoming and outgoing instant messaging and e-mail messages.
- Avoid opening SPAM
- Do not use your usi.edu email address when filling out web forms
(where a web page asks your
name, address, and email address)
- Do not open email messages that are sure to be SPAM. Some spammers use a technique where
they are alerted when their message is read which pieces are opened (not replied to-but opened).
They will send active mailboxes more mail and even sell your address to other spammers.
- Do not publicize your email address on web pages. There are tools that spammers use to scan web
pages looking for MailTo links.
- Be careful how you post to mailing lists, chat rooms, or newsgroups. Posting
(not subscribing) makes your address vulnerable and available for harvesting. If you don't mind
possibly receiving spam mail, post anyway. But if you do mind, use personal email to correspond directly
with the person to whom you are responding. For chat rooms or newsgroups, you can also correspond directly
with one of the frequent posters,
or with the moderator, if there is one.
- Be aware of Scams and Phishing attempts
Be suspicious of any email with urgent requests for personal financial information. Phishing messages
typically
ask for information such as usernames, passwords, credit card
numbers, social security numbers, date of
birth, etc.
- Do not use the links in an email, instant message, or chat to get to any web
page if you suspect the message might not be authentic or you don't know the sender.
- Avoid filling out forms in email messages that ask for personal financial information
- The IRS most likely will not contact you via email.
- IF it sounds too good to be true (you've won a lottery)...
You can report "phishing" or spoofed e-mails to the following groups: reportphishing@antiphishing.org
The Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov
You can file a complaint online at https://www.ftccomplainassistant.gov or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP
- How to Get Rid of Spyware? The university recommends two spyware removal tools, which can be
downloaded for free. The free tools are Ad-Aware and Spybot-Search and Destroy. These programs search your
hard drive to find any instance of known spyware activity and also have the capability to remove these
instances. Often one program will find instances of spyware
that the other may miss so it is recommended that
both programs be run in conjunction to eliminate as much spyware from your system as possible.Spyware
Downloads:
- Lavasoft Ad-Aware - http://www.lavasoft.de/
- Spybot Search and Destroy - http://www.spybot.com
- Microsoft Windows Defender - http://www.microsoft.com
- Install a Personal firewall Windows XP has a built-in firewall that works well to protect your
computer. Make sure you have your firewall turned ON in Windows XP.
- Click Start, and then click Control Panel. (make sure you are in classic view)
- Click Windows Firewall
- Click ON
- E-mail and Instant Messaging Do not assume that your E-mail will be read only by the
intended recipients. Think of E-mail as you would think of a postcard. No one writes confidential or sensitive
information on a postcard, because it offers no privacy. E-mail is similar. Your messages sometime wonÃt
get to your intended recipients due to delivery problems or invalid addresses. Messages sent over a
wireless network are essentially broadcast and can be intercepted. If you have sensitive information to
share by E-mail, your best bet is to use encryption to both
protect the contents of your message and to prove
to the recipient that the message was sent by you.
Remember:
- E-mail represents our single
biggest security concern.
- Viruses are most commonly spread through e-mail attachments.
- Viruses can also be sent through instant messaging attachments.
- Confidential information can be accidentally and/or purposefully compromised through both e-mail and instant messaging.
- What Can YOU Do to Save Yourself the Aggravation of Dealing with SPAM?
- Create an Outlook RULE to move messages that are spam, or thought to be spam, to a folder
and review this folder on a periodic basis. Follow these steps in Outlook:
CLICK ON:
Tools, RULES & Alerts, New Rule
Start from Blank Rule,
Check messages when they arrive, Next
Check the box that says: SPECIFIC WORDS in Subject or Body
In lower pane click on specific Words
Type in ***SPAM*** click ADD if you have more words you want to
block, add them
Click OK and NEXT
Check Move it to the specified folder
In lower pane-click specified
Choose the Junk mail folder
Click OK,
Click Next 2 times
Name the Filter: SPAM
Click finish
- MyUSI and Outlook Email (how to maintain 2 email accounts)
Option 1 Use MyUSI only
- Instructions on how to set up your MyUSI profile so that you can access BOTH email accounts by ONLY logging into MyUSI.
Log on to MyUSI
Click email icon at top of the page
(email should show the mailbox for mai.usi.edu... and folders under this mailbox)
Click Options Tab
click Retrieve other email
Enter USI-Exchange for the Account name
choose IMAP, Click ADD
Enter the following:
Server: emailnew.usi.edu
userID: (your personID for example jsmith)
Password: (this would be your password for Exchange - usi.edu)
Confirm password: (same password as above)
Click OK
Click OK on next page
Click Email Tab
On left side of page you can see the mailbox for mail.usi.edu (Inbox, Sent, deleted..)
Click the little triangle next to USI-Exchange to expand this second mailbox
This should display the folder for the usi.edu mailbox.
Option 2 Forward your mail.usi.edu email to your usi.edu mailbox.
After setting this up, you should only need to use Outlook or Outlook Web Access to get mail sent to either of your addresses.
Log into MyUSI
Click Email icon at top of page
click Options tab
click auto forward
In the autoforward box enter your full usi.edu email address
Click OK
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