Safe Computing

Policies and Procedures

MACU IT Policy All Staff, Faculty, and Students are expected to be familiar with the MACU IT Policy.
   
Copyrights Learn about Copyright protections, infringement, and penalties.
   
P2P and File Sharing Using P2P and file sharing programs is against the MACU IT Policy.  Using P2P and file sharing programs to illegally download and upload copyrighted material is against the law and could possibly carry civil and criminal sanctions.
   
Anti-Virus Requirement All computers that access the MACU wired and wireless networks are required to have anti-virus installed and updated.
   
 

Computers and Security

Anti-Virus All computers that access the MACU wired and wireless networks are required to have anti-virus installed and updated.
   
Spyware/Malware Malicious software disrupts normal computing activity, waste bandwidth, and potentially steals personal information; please read more about these threats.
   
Spam General email spam is filtered by Gmail.  Make sure you flag spam emails with Gmail if they still reach your inbox.
   
Phishing Scammers use phishing to aquire sensitive personal data by pretending to be legimate orgranizations.
   
Identity Theft Identity theft happens when someone uses your personal information without your permission.
   
Operating System Make sure that your OS is completely up-to-date–running the latest patches and security up dates.
   
Applications Ensure that all of your applications and software platforms are fully up-to-date and patched against vulnerabilities (e.g. Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, and Java.)  Unpatched applications provide easy access for exploits, viruses, and malware.
   
Disposal Effective July 1, 2011 televisions and computer equipment are banned from disposal in NC landfills.  Make sure your computer/device is wiped before disposal.
   

 

 

 

 

 

Spyware/Malware

Spyware and Malware can have a variety of negative effects on your computer.  Spyware and Malware can be used to collect personal information, install botnets, and otherwise compromise the security of your computer.

Signs That Your Computer Might be Infected

1.  Computer feels suddenly sluggish or an increase in program and OS crashes.

2.  Excessive popups and/or changes to your settings that you did not approve.

Steps to Prevent Spyware and Malware Infections

1.  Make sure you know what you are installing.

2.  Turn on your firewall.  Windows/MAC

3.  Comply with the University’s anti-virus requirement.

4.  Install anti-spyware and anti-malware tools and run them weekly.

5.  Browse safer.  Visit websites that you trust and do not download programs from sites that you do not trust.  Never use an account with administrative credentials.

Anti-spyware and Anti-malware Tools

More Information