What is Cyber-safety?
Cyber-safety is a common term used to describe a set of practices, measures and/or actions you can take to protect personal information and your computer from attacks.
At UC Davis, we have the Cyber-safety Program policy, PPM 310-22, (http://manuals.ucdavis.edu/ppm/310/310-22.htm) which establishes that all devices connected to the UC Davis electronic communications network must meet certain security standards.
As part of this policy, all campus units provide annual reports demonstrating their level of compliance.
Further, there are services in place to help all students, faculty and staff meet the cyber-safety standards. Specific information about these services is provided in this tutorial.
Cyber-safety is a common term used to describe a set of practices, measures and/or actions you can take to protect personal information and your computer from attacks.
At UC Davis, we have the Cyber-safety Program policy, PPM 310-22, (http://manuals.ucdavis.edu/ppm/310/310-22.htm) which establishes that all devices connected to the UC Davis electronic communications network must meet certain security standards.
As part of this policy, all campus units provide annual reports demonstrating their level of compliance.
Further, there are services in place to help all students, faculty and staff meet the cyber-safety standards. Specific information about these services is provided in this tutorial.
Cyber-safety is a common term used to describe a set of practices, measures and/or actions you can take to protect personal information and your computer from attacks.
At UC Davis, we have the Cyber-safety Program policy, PPM 310-22, (http://manuals.ucdavis.edu/ppm/310/310-22.htm) which establishes that all devices connected to the UC Davis electronic communications network must meet certain security standards.
As part of this policy, all campus units provide annual reports demonstrating their level of compliance.
Further, there are services in place to help all students, faculty and staff meet the cyber-safety standards. Specific information about these services is provided in this tutorial.
Cyber-safety Threats
Viruses
Viruses infect computers through email attachments and file sharing. They delete files, attack other computers, and make your computer run slowly. One infected computer can cause problems for all computers on a network.
Hackers
Hackers are people who “trespass” into your computer from a remote location. They may use your computer to send spam or viruses, host a Web site, or do other activities that cause computer malfunctions.
Identity Thieves
People who obtain unauthorized access to your personal information, such as Social Security and financial account numbers. They then use this information to commit crimes such as fraud or theft.
Spyware
Spyware is software that “piggybacks” on programs you download, gathers information about your online habits, and transmits personal information without your knowledge. It may also cause a wide range of other computer malfunctions.
Top Seven Cyber-safety Actions
1. Install OS/Software Updates
2. Run Anti-virus Software
3. Prevent Identity Theft
4. Turn on Personal Firewalls
5. Avoid Spyware/Adware
6. Protect Passwords
7. Back up Important Files
Avoid Spyware/Adware
Spyware and adware take up memory and can slow down your computer or cause other problems.
Use Spybot and Ad-Aware to remove spyware/adware from your computer. UC Davis students, faculty and staff can get Spybot and Ad-Aware for free on the Internet Tools CD (available from IT Express in Shields Library).
Watch for allusions to spyware and adware in user agreements before installing free software programs.
Be wary of invitations to download software from unknown internet sources.
Protect Passwords
Do not share your passwords, and always make new passwords difficult to guess by avoiding dictionary words, and mixing letters, numbers and punctuation.
Do not use one of these common passwords or any variation of them: qwerty1, abc123, letmein, password1, iloveyou1, (yourname1), baseball1.
Change your passwords periodically.
When choosing a password:
Mix upper and lower case letters
Use a minimum of 8 characters
Use mnemonics to help you remember a difficult password
Store passwords in a safe place. Consider using KeePass Password Safe (http://keepass.info/), Keychain (Mac) or an encrypted USB drive to store passwords. Avoid keeping passwords on a Post-it under your keyboard, on your monitor or in a drawer near your computer!
Cyber-safety at Home
Physically secure your computer by using security cables and locking doors and windows in the dorms and off-campus housing.
Avoid leaving your laptop unsupervised and in plain view in the library or coffee house, or in your car, dorm room or home.
Set up a user account and password to prevent unauthorized access to your computer files.
Do not install unnecessary programs on your computer.
Microsoft users can download the free Secunia Personal Software Inspector (https://psi.secunia.com/), which lets you scan your computer for any missing operating system or software patches and provides instructions for getting all the latest updates.
Cyber-safety at Work
Be sure to work with your technical support coordinator before implementing new cyber-safety measures.
Talk with your technical support coordinator about what cyber-safety measures are in place in your department.
Report to your supervisor any cyber-safety policy violations, security flaws/weaknesses you discover or any suspicious activity by unauthorized individuals in your work area.
Physically secure your computer by using security cables and locking building/office doors and windows.
Do not install unnecessary programs on your work computer.
Incoming Search Tearms
What is Cyber-safety?
Cyber-safety Threats
Viruses
Hackers
Identity Thieves
Spyware
Protect Passwords
Cyber-safety at Home
Cyber-safety at Work
Avoid Spyware/Adware
Top Seven Cyber-safety Actions