Safe Computing

Protect Yourself

IT Security would like to help you improve your cyber safety.  As members of the campus community, it is important to realize that your cyber safety at home and abroad has a direct impact on your cyber safety on campus.  You can find information and tools in the sections below to improve your cyber safety.

KEEP YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM & SOFTWARE UP TO DATE

Both the operating system (OS) and software need to be kept up to date. This ensures that your computer is safe from daily discovered vulnerabilities that have been patched and are harder for malicious actors to crack.

It can be difficult to keep your computer up to date when you have a lot of software installed, but the following guidelines can help with that.

  • Ensure automatic updates are enabled for your operating system and software applications.
  • Use a patch management system. Contact IT Security (security@mst.edu) to see if we can provide you with Lumension or Secunia's.
  • Stay cautious when using the top three attacked applications (Java, Flash, and Adobe Reader).

USE MALICIOUS DETECTION SOFTWARE

The goal is to avoid malware and viruses on your computer, there are tools and tips that can help.

See our Malware & Antivirus Detection Software article>> 

USE STRONG & UNIQUE PASSWORDS

Creating unique passwords that you can remember takes significant effort, but it is important to keep in mind what you are protecting with that password. Having a strong and unique password is vital to maintaining your cyber safety. There are many tips, tricks, tools, and recommendations when it is time to create a strong and unique password.

See our Password Security article>>

See our Password Manager Tool article>>

BE CAUTIOUS WHEN USING EMAIL

Malicious actors will try to trick you into revealing your personal and sensitive information with emails, websites, and links. IT Security has tools to detect and reduce malicious emails for you, but there may be times when you should report them to protect yourself and the university.

See our Phishing article>>

DO NOT USE ADMIN PRIVILEGES UNLESS NECESSARY

To keep your computer safe, do not use your computer as a user with administrative privileges. This doesn't directly stop attacks, but it often limits how much damage malicious actors can do.

See our Admin Privilege Safety article>>

USE ENCRYPTION TOOLS

Particularly for mobile devices and laptops, it is important that your file system be encrypted with a strong password. Encryption protects your data from being stolen and will help to prevent identity theft. Depending on what information is stored on your computer, it might even be a requirement set by industry or federal regulation.