Article: Security Bytes

By J. D. Rummel (rummel@creighton.edu)

Welcome back. This issue we’re going to look at some easy security tips, things you can do right now to better protect your computer and the information you have access to. The suggestions below are general and should be a good fit for most of the computing community at Creighton.

  1. Lock your workstation. Many people don’t know that computers can be locked and what an important step in secure computing that is. Lock your computer anytime you walk away or you aren’t actively using your system. To lock your computer:
    1. In Windows XP press the L key and the Windows key (should be beside one or both of the Alt keys and looks like the Microsoft flag) at the same time. That locks your system. To unlock press control-alt-delete.
    2. In Windows 2000 press control-alt-delete all at once and on the screen that appears click the “Lock Computer” button. This will work in XP as well. To unlock press control-alt-delete.
    3. Windows 9.x. Holy cats! Stop using this system! Er, I mean, it would be wise to move away from this environment because of its poor security.
  2. Check your screen saver. The CU image on XP machines is set to lock your computer after ten minutes of inactivity. In most versions of Windows you can right click the desktop and select Properties then Screen Saver and set the time and the password protect check box. Increasing the duration for time outs is NOT a good security practice.
  3. Be sure you have current anti-virus. On CU owned machines we install and support Symantec (Norton) anti-virus. To check its status double click on the gold shield (some think it looks like a computer mouse) in the right-hand corner of your screen. In the screen that appears check the field that says version. The date there should be fairly current. No less than a week old and generally much more current. If you have doubts call the Service Desk.
  4. Don’t give your password to anyone. This is a big one. Nobody but you should know your password. Not your spouse, not your co-worker, not even your supervisor or Dean. Even a tech working on your computer should be resetting your password to something he or she can use while working on your machine and then letting you reset the password when the work is done. If anyone is asking for your password let us know. If you suspect somebody knows your password change it. Today. Now. See the segment on changing your password, below.
    Q. What if I share my workstation with others?
    A. If that is the case each person should be logging on with their own netID and Blue password. Windows will allow them to create their “profile” on the computer. Sharing credentials (multiple people using one login and password is strongly discouraged.)
  5. Don’t write your password down and store it somewhere. That Post-It note on your monitor or under your keyboard should be destroyed and you should change your password. Today. Now. See the segment on changing your password, below.
  6. Finally, change your password frequently and make the password complex (use alphanumeric characters, special characters and change case). You can change your password a number of ways:
    1. When the system prompts you with a, “password will expire in xx days do you want to change it now?” message.
    2. Anytime using the Blueuser system: blueuser.creighton.edu
    3. Anytime using AMI: ami.creighton.edu

As always, be aware of how important you are in terms of computer security. Remember, if you are secure, U. is secure.

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