Keeping Your Computer Safe
Viruses? Worms? Spyware? Adware?
Hackers?
How can I keep my computer safe?!?
With the increasing popularity of "always-on" high-speed Internet
connections (like the ones available to all Hope students) comes the
increased need to protect your computer. While Hope College provides
many tools to protect its users (virus scanning of all e-mails entering
from outside campus, for example), it's ultimately up to each
person to protect his or her personal computer. With that in
mind, we've created the following list of actions that you can take to
protect your PC. While no list can be comprehensive, these items will
assist in avoiding many potential problems.
Install virus protection software and keep it up to date
Simply purchasing an antivirus program is not enough. Because several
dozen new viruses are released each day, it's imperative that your
program is updated at least once a week. Although each program is
different, every antivirus program should have a "definition" or "DAT" date.
If this date is more than 1 week past, your program is out of date,
and you're not being protected!
Hope College provides free antivirus protection for all enrolled students.
For more details, visit this
page.
Keep your Microsoft Windows current with the latest updates
and patches
Microsoft is continually identifying new security risks in Windows.
Although they usually releases "fixes" right away, many
users do not install them until it's too late, if at all. The Windows
Update control panel (in Windows Vista) or Windows Update
website (in Windows XP) provides an easy way to scan your computer
for needed updates and install them. Be sure to install all the "Critical" or "High Priority" updates,
as these have been identified as the most important. After each reboot,
repeat the procedure again until no more "Critical" or "High
Priority" updates are available. Be sure to visit this site
regularly to check for new fixes. Or you can turn on Automatic
Updates
and let your computer continually check for you.
Be very, very careful when opening attachments
E-mail attachments are a great way to send files to others. They're
also the perfect way for viruses to spread. Even with an updated
antivirus program, you're still vulnerable to new, unknown threats.
Therefore,
it's important to be very cautious when opening attachments, even
if you know the person who sent the message. Viruses are very good
at "faking" who
they are from, and often will appear as a message from a friend or
family member. Unless you're expecting it and know exactly what it is,
DO NOT OPEN THE ATTACHMENT. Be especially suspicious of very vague
messages like "Check this out!" or "Very important!".
These are tricks to get you to click without thinking!
Think of it this way: If someone sent you a bottle of pills in the
mail that you weren't expecting, you wouldn't take them, would you?
As long as you're using 1HOPE to read your e-mail, you can
only be infected with a virus if you click on an attachment to try
to open it. Just having the message in your 1HOPE "Inbox" does
not mean you're infected. If you think a message might be a virus,
just delete it. Users of Eudora, Outlook, Outlook Express and other
POP
e-mail clients are more susceptible to viruses, and need to be absolutely
certain that their virus protection program is up-to-date (see above)
before downloading messages into these programs.
Don't install file-sharing or other "free" programs
File-sharing programs have become incredibly popular in the past
few years. The most popular files to "share" are songs
and videos, an activity which usually violates federal copyright
law and Hope's
Computer Usage Responsibilities.
This will ultimately result in termination of one's computer privileges
at Hope, as well as possible legal prosecution by those owning the
copyright. Further, these programs are often touted as "free",
but almost always install "hidden" programs designed to
do anything from annoy you with popups to download personal information.
Remember, nothing is "free". The companies behind
these programs must be making money somewhere, and these "hidden" programs
are how they do it. Although file-sharing programs are the most popular,
others like weather monitors and online games are involved as well.
Turn off Windows "File and printer sharing"
Your computer has the ability to share its files and printers with
others connected to the Hope College network. While this might seem
like a good way to let friends access things on your computer, it
also gives others a way to read (and maybe even modify or delete!)
those
files. Worse yet, it gives viruses a way to "move" from
computer to computer, allowing your computer to be infected without
you doing
anything.
Unfortunately, this feature is usually turned on when your computer
is delivered. CIT highly recommends that all users disable this feature
in Windows. The procedure for doing this varies depending on which
version of Windows you're running. For Windows XP, open the "Network Connections" control panel,
double-click on "Local Area Connection" or "Wireless
Connection" (may need to do both, if both are present), then click "Properties".
Clear the check box next to "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft
Networks".
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