Protecting Your Computer From Security Risks

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Last updated: Jul 29, 2024 by Dan Jakubiak
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This article is for students, faculty, and staff, and provides step-by-step instructions and best practices for how users can protect their computers from security risks.

Staying Up-To-Date on Security Patches

Patching vulnerable applications and operating systems reduces the number of exploitable entry points.

If you are running a supported operating system (Windows 10), you should review Windows Update to check the status of your updates and, if needed, download, the latest security patches. If you have not been keeping up with your Windows Updates, then you may need to run it multiple times to get your computer completely up-to-date. If you are running an unsupported operating system (i.e., Windows 7 and older), contact the Technology Support Center or your local IT support team. They will assist you in updating to a supported operating system.

If you are using Mac, view the article on checking for and installing updates on Mac OS and Mac OS X.

Maintaining Up-To-Date Anti-Virus Software

All University systems have pre-installed protection software.

For Windows 10, Windows Defender is natively installed on your computer. To determine if Windows Defender is able to protect your computer,

  1. Click the Start button.

  2. Select Settings.

  3. Click on Update & Security. 

  4. Select Windows Defender.

  5. Click on Open Windows Defender. 

  6. Select the Update tab in Windows Defender.

  7. Select Update Definitions.

For personal devices that are not University-owned, you can install one of the many free and paid software programs that can help protect your system when using it for university business or personal use. For ongoing protection there are several free versions of antivirus. PC Magazine has a great resource evaluating some of the top vendors (pcmag.com/picks/the-best-free-antivirus-protection).  

Saving your Files on University-Supported Infrastructure

The University provides secure file storage. For students, faculty and staff, ITS recommends OneDrive, cloud-hosted storage that integrates with applications in Microsoft 365.

Not Falling Prey to Phishing Messages

Be suspicious of unsolicited attachments, especially from untrusted or unknown sources. Do not follow unsolicited Web links in emails. For more information about phishing and how you can protect your computer from phishing attacks, see Detect and Protecting Yourself from Phishing. 

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