Performing basic computer safety maintenance is your first step to preventing nasty viruses from infecting your computer.
3 things you can do to protect your computer:
- Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
At Carleton, all computer labs and staff/faculty workstations have Symantec installed. Symantec is available to staff and faculty for home use and to students in residence -> Download Symantec here - Keep up with software, operating system and security updates.
When you get a notification to install the latest upgrade, do it. Upgrades often contain patches that address security breaches and additional enhancements to security/functionality. - Configure your computer’s built-in firewall.
Firewalls can detect and prevent unauthorized traffic coming in from the internet. Here is an article on how to set up a firewall on your home computer.
As a Precaution: Back up your Computer
As a further preventative measure, back your computer up on a regular basis. This way, if you are infected with a virus, it may not be quite so painful.
For staff and faculty, this means backing your work up on the W: drive. The data on your computer is not backed up, whereas the W: drive is backed up on a regular basis.
For students, if you use a laptop or a home computer for your school work, you may want to invest in an external hard drive as a means to back up your work, pictures, music and files.
For more information on protecting your computer, please visit carleton.ca/its/security/.