Overview
From day-to-day use to saying goodbye to your old friend, here are tips for protecting desktops and laptops.
General Security Practices For All Systems
Know who logs in to your system
Be aware of all of the people who log in to your system and log all of their activities. Take time to carefully plan groups and their permissions. Only grant access rights to users who need to perform their duties.
Use good password practices
See the Password/Authentication SAP and Tips for Creating Passwords.
Keep your system updated
Apply patches, fixes, and service packs, when available. Keep your systems upgraded to the latest versions of software.
Use antivirus software
Make sure you have an up-to-date antivirus program. Once the software is installed, set it to auto-update to stay current on virus definitions. Texas A&M Technology Services' Software Center offers antivirus software at no charge to Texas A&M faculty, staff and students. To download the software, log in to the software store with your NetID and password.
Use your computer's firewall
Most computers have a built in firewall. It's designed to protect your computer from attack. Make sure yours is turned on.
Eliminate all extra services
Only allow services to run on your machine if you absolutely need them. For example, unless you have a reason to have a web server on your host, do not install or turn one on. Also, remove any demonstration copies of software that came with your operating system. Know what services should be running on your host.
NSA Operating System Configuration Guides
The NSA provides configuration guides for operating systems. These are an excellent source of detailed information about protecting specific operating systems.
For Windows 7, the NSA recommends the Microsoft Security Compliance Manager.
Avoiding Laptop Theft
Use common sense. Don't leave your laptop unattended. This includes using your backpack (with laptop in it) to "save a table" for lunch or leaving your laptop to go use the restroom in the library or lab.
Keep your laptop out of sight when you're not using it. Don't leave your laptop on the seat of your car.
Be sure your laptop is identifiable. Write down the make, model, and serial number of your laptop, and take a photo of it for insurance purposes.
Disposing of Computers
Erase your hard drive before discarding your computer. Even though deleting files in your file manager prevents you from seeing them, the data remains on your hard drive. Commonly available forensic tools can easily gain access to this data.
For personal hard drives, you can gain an extra level of protection by "zeroing out" your data. MAC computers can try these steps. For Windows users, DBAN is a free, though slightly complex, software for this purpose. (Tip: Make sure you create a bootable CD when using DBAN)
For Texas A&M hard drives, Surplus Property provides a hard drive shredding service. See the Property Transfer Procedure for additional information.