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Help Desk

Information Technology

Protect Your Computer from Attack

Want to make sure you don't fall victim to a virus or computer hacker? Want to prevent a thief from stealing your identity? Any computer that can access the Internet is vulnerable to these types of attacks. Both Windows and Mac users are at risk, but these tips can help protect your data and personal information. Follow the steps below to secure your personal computer. IT manages these settings on Reed-owned computers.

Keep Your System Updated

Keep your computer up-to-date with the latest security patches and software updates released by Microsoft and Apple.  These updates fix security holes that could allow an attacker to compromise your computer, access your files, or steal your identity.

Mac
  1. System Settings > General > Software Update
  2. Click the "i" icon next to Automatic Updates 
    Automatic Updates
  3. Enable all three options--Download new updates when available, Install macOS updates, and Install system data files and security updates
    Updates On
Windows

Windows automatically installs security updates by default. To ensure other new features and enhancements are installed automatically, follow the steps below.

  1. Start > System
  2. Click on Windows Update
  3. Toggle on the option for "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available
    Windows Update

Anti-virus Protection

Mac
Xprotect and Gatekeeper are installed by default on all macOS systems. Both these systems provide protection from malicious software and attacks. Xprotect works by building a list of malicious software that downloads can be checked against. It also sets a minimum version for certain web plugins to help protect against zero day exploits. Gatekeeper allows developers to sign applications so that their authenticity is known by the OS.  Keeping your computer up-to-date and installing OS updates as soon as they are released is the best way to keep your computer secure.

For Reed computers, IT is able to quickly patch centrally managed, college-owned Macs in the event of critical updates to application or system software.
Windows

Antivirus software is deployed on all college-owned Windows machines, and strongly encouraged on all privately owned Windows machines to provide protection from malicious software. Keeping your computer up-to-date and installing OS updates as soon as they are released is the best way to keep your computer secure.

Recommended programs:

  • (built into Windows)
  • - available for free for a manual scan, or paid for real-time protection

Firewalls

A firewall helps protect your computer from Internet attacks by restricting access to and from your computer. macOS and Windows both have a built-in firewall.

Mac
  1. System Settings >  Network.
  2. On the Firewall tab, click Enable.
Windows
  1. Settings > Privacy & Security.
  2. Click on Windows Security.
  3. Select Firewall & Network Protection.
  4. Windows Security shows you which type of network you're currently connected to. Usually your device is only connected to one network at a time. Select the appropriate profile (Domain, Private, or Public).
  5. Under Microsoft Defender Firewall, switch the setting to On.

Disabling Auto-Login

To keep your data safe, require a password at login.

Mac
  1. Open System Settings, and select Users & Groups
  2. Select Login Options
  3. Ensure that "Automatic Login" is set to "Off"
Windows
  1. Click the "Start" button and run: "netplwiz"
  2. Select your user
  3.  Ensure that the box "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer" is checked.

Password Protect Your Screen Saver

Mac

  1. Open System Settings and select Lock Screen, or type it into the search bar.  
  2. Select "Require Password after screen saver begins or display is off.” 
  3. You can now select the time interval required (under the drop-down menu) before your computer requires a password again.

Windows

  1. Start > Settings > Accounts
  2. Select "Sign-in Options" on the left-hand menu
  3. Under "Require Sign-in," change the drop-down menu to "When PC wakes up from sleep"
  4. To change the length of time the PC sleeps, go to Settings > System > Power & Sleep and select the time interval from the appropriate drop-down menu.

Passwords

Passwords you create should be unique. To protect your personal information, create a different password for each account you use--computer login, email, network services, financial institutions, etc.

Avoid writing down passwords or checking the "remember my password" button with programs.  We've created some helpful tips for creating and securing your passwords.

Web Browsers

Web browsers should be updated regularly to fix known bugs and security vulnerabilities. For built-in browsers, such as Safari on Macs,  and Edge on Windows, these fixes are integrated with the operating system updates. Other browsers, such as Chrome and Firefox should be set to check for new updates automatically (this is usually the default setting).

Malware

Malware are malicious programs that are responsible for pop-up advertisements or may be more destructive with the intent to steal your identity and other personal information. They often come bundled with questionable applications (like file-sharing software) and run in the background without your knowledge or consent.

On personally owned machines users are encouraged to run anti-malware software. An excellent anti-malware prevention tool is . It is free for individual home users to download and use (they do want you to pay for full-time protection). For more mild adware, an ad blocker in your web browser is a good way to provent malicious pop-ups. 

When regularly updated, these programs provide excellent removal of and protection against malware. If you think your computer has been infected with any kind of malware, contact the CUS Help Desk immediately.

Phishing

Phishing often appear as a legitimate e-mail from a trusted party such as a financial institution or credit card company. They come in various forms, but they all attempt to trick the user into divulging sensitive information such as passwords or credit card numbers. Some e-mails will ask you to reply with your credentials (supposedly to confirm your identity), while others may contain a seemingly legitimate link to a website identical to that of the claimed sender.

Learn more on our phishing page.

File Sharing and Peer-to-Peer Services

Filesharing and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) services can be dangerous to your system. Services like Kazaa, Limewire, and Gnutella have no security measures in place and files are often not what they claim to be. Using a filesharing service such as one of these opens yourself up to viruses and malware, even if you have anti-virus software running.

Additionally, you risk being a target to lawsuits if you share copyrighted material (many of these programs share the files on your computer without your knowledge). The best way to stay safe is to simply not use filesharing services.  For more information, visit our copyright page.