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
- Back up your data on a separate hard drive in at least one other location.
- NC State backs up the files you store in your NCSU Drive space.
- Google backs up what you store on Google Workspace Drive.
- For help in selecting the best backup strategies for your data, see Backups.
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
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: - 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). - 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.