Remember that you and only you are ultimately responsible for all usage of your computer and computing account. Safe computing has several facets as indicated below.

Contents

• Follow Laws Policies and Regulations
• Protect Your Computer
• Protect Your Unity Credentials
• Back Up Your Data
• Protect Your Personal Data
• Protect University Data

Follow Laws, Policies and Regulations

• IT Rules, Regulations and Procedures
  Become familiar with and follow the policies, rules, and regulations for using computer resources at NC State.
• Peer-to-Peer File Sharing
  Using P2P software to violate copyright law carries a number of possible university sanctions, including a conduct violation being placed on an employee’s or a student’s university record, which may be disclosed through future employment or educational application processes.
• Copyright
  Follow the links on this page for information on many copyright issues.
• End User License Agreement (EULA)
   Most software has one of these, and you must agree to it before you can install the software.
• Reg 08.00.03 – Data Management Procedures
  This is the general governing document for handling sensitive university data.

Protect Your Computer

• Antivirus
  As a student, faculty or staff member, you are required to have antivirus installed and kept up-to-date on any computer you use to access NC State’s computing resources.
• Spam
  Gmail automatically provides antispam protection for email accounts.
• Operating system
  Make sure your system is set to download and apply all updates and patches automatically.
• Patches for applications
  Immediately install patches for applications (e.g., Flash, Java, MS Office, all web browsers) as soon as they are available.
• Firewall
  This helps protect your computer from intrusion by hackers. Your operating system may have one built in, or you can download a free reputable one from the internet. See also the Wikipedia entry for Firewall.
• Email security
  • NEVER respond to any request for your Unity ID and password; all such requests are fraudulent. 
  • Beware of attachments and links inside messages.
  • Also see Protect Your Personal Data (below).
• Infected downloads
  • Beware of free or low-cost programs that may contain hidden electronic threats.
  • Some of these can use your computer as a robot, forcing it to steal personal information from other computers.
  • They slow down your processing and can also damage your files.
  • Check the Internet carefully for information on a particular program before you install it.
    CAUTION: Some software that claims to remove viruses and spyware will actually install them.
• Instant Messaging
  Chats and other instant messages are vulnerable to viruses. Don’t click on links inside them.
• Physical security
  • To deter snooping, use a screen lock.
  • To deter theft, engrave identifying information on the machine itself.
    CAUTION: Do NOT engrave your Social Security number.

Protect Your Unity Credentials

• Unity credentials
  • Choose a strong password.
  • Don’t write your password down.
  • NEVER share it. EVERY email request for your password is a scam.  Don’t fall for it.
  • Don’t let anyone watch you type it.
  • Change it often.
  • You will need a current password in order to use certain services and resources through the MyPack Portal.
• Enroll in Duo two-factor authentication
  • Add an extra layer of protection to your account.
  • For details, see Duo security.
  • NOTE: Enrollment in Duo is required for all NC State students, faculty and staff.
• Log out
  Before you leave a computer unattended, especially in a computer lab, be sure to log out.

Back Up Your Data

Protect Your Personal Data

• Phishing
  Some phony email messages “fish” for your personal information and will try to tempt or scare you into providing it. Don’t respond to them.
• Vishing
  Vishing messages are like phishing ones but involve the use of voice communication instead of or in addition to email.
• Identity theft
  Don’t store sensitive information on your computer; e.g., Social Security number, passwords for online banking and other services.
• Internet fraud
  Learn about the various schemes being perpetrated on the Internet and how to protect yourself from them.
• Two-factor authentication
  Set up two-factor authentication on your banking, email and other personal accounts.
• Social networking
  • Don’t put any pictures or messages online (e.g., FaceBook, Twitter) that you wouldn’t want published in the news media.
  • For more information, see Social Networking.
• Hard drive erasure
  Before you discard your computer, erase your hard drive with special software. See
  • Media Disposal – OIT Internal Process (for PCs)
  • Hard Disk Erasing for Macs
  • Hard Disk Erasing for Unix

Protect University Data

• Managing sensitive university data
  Protection of university data has become increasingly important and is the responsibility of all individuals who use or share it.
  Reg 08.00.03 – Data Management Procedures is the general governing document.
  For additional guidance, see the following pages and the related links they contain:
  • Determining Sensitivity Levels for Shared Data
  • Storage Locations for University Data
  • Frequently Asked Questions – Data Management Procedures
• Disposing of media that contain sensitive university data
  These include computer hard drives, tapes, CDs, DVDs, floppy drives, USB flash drives, and hand-held devices (e.g., BlackBerrys).
  • Media Disposal – OIT Internal Process
  • Secure Disposal of University-owned Electronic Media at NC State
• Enabling two-factor authentication (2FA)
  NC State University provides two-factor authentication to the most vital campus resources. This service are mandatory for university students, faculty and staff.
  For details, see Duo Security.

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