Nobody likes a sluggish computer, but if your machine catches a virus it could do more than just slow it down. Although it is easy to protect against computer viruses, people often forget to take the steps in order to prevent an invasion. If you are going to connect to the campus network it is a requirement to have antivirus software installed and running on your computer.

To download and learn more about antivirus software, please visit: http://www.cites.illinois.edu/security/antivirus/

Instead of writing down your passwords on random scraps of paper or post-it notes, securely store your information where only you can retrieve it. CITES offers a program called PasswordVault that serves as a quick and easy way to access all of your passwords with just the click of a mouse. With PasswordVault you only need to remember one master password or the answers to a series of challenge questions that you can set on your own. PasswordVault also comes with a companion program, PasswordVault2Go, which lets you store your passwords on a portable media drive (like a USB flash drive).

To download and learn more about PasswordVault, please visit: http://www.cites.illinois.edu/security/passwordvault

The benefit of registration is that if your laptop is ever lost or stolen on campus, CITES Security staff will be able to scan the campus network to catch thieves foolish enough to reconnect to the network. Registering your laptop is quick and easy online.

To register your computer, please visit the Computer Registration Page at http://www.cites.illinois.edu/security/register/

Accessing resources on the campus network is a relatively safe process when you are physically on campus. But there are greater risks accessing those same resources off campus. A public WiFi network could be monitored by hackers or could be compromised. For this reason, many campus services are not available from off campus. However, no matter where you are in the world, using the campus VPN will allow you to create a safe and secure connection back to campus and use resources such as department servers and library resources.

To learn how to setup the campus VPN, please visit: http://www.cites.illinois.edu/vpn

Tactics for attacking computers on the Internet have shifted; now it's often not the operating system that gets compromised, but programs that are installed on the computer. Software that isn't kept up-to-date can leave your computer open to compromise by hackers, who take advantage of security holes in unpatched software. They can then install malware and other harmful programs, stealing information from your machine or making it part of a botnet and attacking other computers online. Making sure all of the programs you have installed stay up-to-date can be time consuming if done individually, but there is a free program called Secunia PSI that can help.

To learn more and download Secunia PSI, please visit: http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/

Years ago, free, but illegal services such as Napster provided a fast and efficient way to get whatever music you wanted. Now the record industry is finally starting to catch on and make purchasing music online just as fast and easy. While some legal download sites cost money, not all of them do. In addition, legal download sites are safe and secure to use. Many illegal filesharing programs today come bundled with spyware and viruses, and open up your computer for people to steal sensitive information from you.

To view a list of the major legal download sites online, please visit: http://copyright.illinois.edu

The orientation will strengthen your knowledge of security topics such as identity theft, maintaining your computer, and campus passwords. It will also help prevent threats such as viruses, sensitive data leaks, or spam. The orientations are free and CITES Security can also schedule an orientation specifically for your department.

To see when the next Security Orientation is taking place, please visit: http://www.cites.illinois.edu/security/orientation

In the past, if you forgot your NetID password, you would have to go through an involved process with IT support to reset your password. Now, by simply answering a few questions ahead of time online, you can reset your password whenever you need to from wherever you are. By spending just a couple of minutes now, you can avoid hours of frustration later on.

To set your NetID Password Security Questions, please visit: http://netidpassword.uiuc.edu

There are many state and federal laws that create penalties for the loss of sensitive data, such as Social Security Numbers, finanical information and medical information. If you inherited a computer, or if you just want to have a better understanding of what information is actually on your computer, CITES offers a handy program called Firefly that will scan your documents looking for Social Security Numbers. The program is easy to use, and it will help you locate and delete old Social Security Numbers that you no longer need for your day to day work.

You can learn more about protecting sensitive data and download Firefly by visiting: http://www.cites.illinois.edu/ssnprogram

When it comes to working with student information, such as posting grades, it is easy to make a mistake that goes against University policy and federal law. In order to better understand the rules and regulations for grade distribution and protecting student personal information it is beneficial to take the FERPA Online Tutorial provided by the Office of Admissions and Records.

To take the FERPA Online Tutorial, please visit: http://www.oar.uiuc.edu/staff/ferpa_tutorial/