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Safe Computing
There are several
things you can do to enhance safe computing. These are things that will
lessen your chances of getting and/or transmitting a computer virus,
lessen your chances of getting spyware or adware, keep illegally obtained
files from being shared from your computer, etc.
As a start, please
make sure you follow the Oberlin College Information technology Acceptable
Use Policy.
Viruses
and Worms:
- Anti-Virus
Software: Computer viruses and worms can easily be spread
from computer to computer. On Windows computers, in particular, they
can cause much harm. Macintosh computers can transmit viruses to other
computers, but are generally not susceptible to many viruses, other
than an occasional macro virus (e.g., Microsoft Word macro virus).
The best defense is to install virus-checking software and then keep
it up to date with the latest virus definitions (known as DATs). (New
viruses and worms are being created all the time!) CIT has procured
a college-wide license for McAfee anti-virus software. All College
faculty, staff and students are eligible to download the software
from the CIT download web pages (if on
campus), or pick up a CD with the software on it from the CIT Help
Desk.
- Pre-connectivity
virus-checking for Resnet: CIT has a product in place that
will virus-check computers prior to being authenticated for network
connectivity. Thus, all students, faculty-in-residence, and staff
residing in residence halls, connecting to Resnet, will have their
computers automatically scanned for viruses prior to establishing
connectivity. Details on this process can be found on the Resnet
web pages.
- Microsoft
Outlook and Outlook Express: CIT does not recommend the use
of Outlook or Outlook Express as one's email program. These programs
have been quite prone to viruses. Alternatives we recommend include
Mail for Macintosh OS X users and Thunderbird for Windows users. ObieMail
is the web mail client supported by CIT. It wallows people to access
their email from anywhere, using a web browser. This is particularly
useful when away from campus, say, at a conference.
Security
Updates and Patches
- Both Macintosh
and Windows operating systems routinely require software security
updates and patches. We recommend you set your computer to automatically
notify you of new updates and patches and install them as soon as
possible (see below for instructions). Windows users should, however,
check with CIT (send a message to cit@oberlin.edu)
before installing any new Service Packs (SPs). Sometimes, these can
create problems in our environment and we don't, then, recommend installation
until we have ensured the software update will work properly.
To set Mac
computers to automatically notify of updates: In OS X,
select System Preferences from the dock, then System, then Software
Update. Ensure that Check for Updates is checked and select your
desired frequency.
To set Windows
computers to automatically notify of updates: In Windows
XP, select Control Panel ->System. Click on the Automatic Upgrades
tab and select an appropriate choice for automatic updates (e.g.,
Automatic Updates or Notify me...). Faculty and Staff college-owed
computers are generally set up by CIT with the first choice already
selected.
Spyware
and Adware:
- These
days, one of the biggest problems for Windows computer users is the
hidden influx of spyware and adware. These are software programs that
you may be unwittingly running on your computer that can gather personal
information (i.e., credit card details), hardware and software specifications,
even your web surfing habits. It can even break your network connection
so that you have to have the software on your computer completely
reloaded. This software is often installed silently and without your
expressed permission when installing other software (often P2P programs),
or visiting some websites. Please visit our Virus
Protection web page for information on getting rid of these programs.
Copyright
Violations:
- You should be
aware that it is a violation of copyright law to download
files for which you are not the copyright owner, or for which you
do not have the copyright owner's express approval. This includes
most music, movie, and interactive gaming files. People (usually
found to be students) who download files using peer-to-peer file-sharing
programs usually (as in, almost always) turn their own computers into
file-sharing servers. This puts them especially at risk for being
discovered, potentially leading to serious ramifications, including
loss of network access, judicial board action, lawsuits by external
organizations, etc. It is incumbent upon all Oberlin College computer
users to be aware of copyright law, to not violate copyright law,
and to be aware of the capabilities of their own computers, regardless
of whom they have let use said computers (i.e., it is not an excuse
to say "my brother used my computer and he put those files there").
Please see the CIT web pages on Copyright
for more information.
- There are many
alternatives to downloading music files illegally. For example, Apple
provides the iTunes Music Store, offering music files for a nominal
fee. The iTunes software is available from our software
downloads web pages, for both Mac and Windows computers.
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