A Quick Summer Refresher Course on Keeping Your Computer Secure

Jon Miyake
miyake@uoregon.edu

This is the time of the year that new computers are purchased and old ones are passed on down the line.

No matter how you came to have that new (to you) computer on your desk, you will want to do some or all of the following simple things to help keep your computer secure:

1. Install Norton AntiVirus
   Symantec Norton AntiVirus (NAV) is site-licensed to the University of Oregon for use by faculty, staff, and students on their campus and home computers. You can download Norton AntiVirus from the Duckware CD-ROM, which is updated and distributed on campus each fall. In addition, NAV is always available from the public domain server at http://public.uoregon.edu/ For more details about antivirus protection, contact Microcomputer Services at 346-4412 or visit their antivirus information page (http://micro.uoregon.edu/av/).

   After installing NAV, you will want to update its definitions and scan your computer for viruses. We recommend that you keep auto-protect turned on, enable automatic update ("LiveUpdate") of virus definitions, and schedule NAV to scan your computer at least once a week, if not more often.
   

2. Check for and Install Updates and Patches
   It is equally important to keep your system current by installing security-related system updates and patches. We recommend that most users make use of whatever automatic updating features their operating system supports. Although auto-updates are a controversial issue in the tech community, they will nonetheless provide you with the greatest amount of protection from remote exploits with a minimal amount of effort.
   

3. Disable or Remove Services That Are Not Being Actively Used
   If you are not actively using a service, (e.g., HTTP, FTP, SMTP), turn it off. Many of the computer break-ins we see on campus are related to a seldom-used service being remotely compromised. Disabling a service may require the assistance of someone with an advanced understanding of your particular operating system. Please refer to your local technical support person for assistance (a list of support staff is available at http://deptcomp.uoregon.edu/local/index.html ).

Beyond the Basics

The three security steps outlined above are some of the simple things that can be easily done by users with moderate computer skills. It is obviously not an exhaustive list. Individuals who are dealing with sensitive information or maintaining departmental servers will want to take additional steps to further secure their systems from attack. Contact Network Security (security@uoregon.edu) to learn some additional steps you can take to protect your computer.