Security of your desktop computer

Library and Information Services (LIS) maintains a number of useful self-help pages at:

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/lis/help

A recent addition to that list offers users some advice about configuring a desktop PC in order to avoid some of the more obvious security pitfalls of working with a computer connected to the Internet. The note can be found at:

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/lis/help/security/protectingyourpc.html

The advice in that note requires the user to have some expertise and some knowledge of the computer and therefore it is not perhaps applicable to everyone.

However, given the threats to computers from the Internet, there are some steps which, we feel, all users should take to protect their desktop computers.

install anti-virus software and keep it up to date
have some knowledge of what is on your computer: where your documents are, where your e-mail is stored, what software is installed; on the last point, ensure that only properly licensed software is installed on your computer
recognise the importance of unique data stored on your machine and have a sensible strategy for backing it up
beware of programs such as screen savers which can be downloaded from the web and also watch out for attachments to e-mail which may be executable programs; if you not sure what something does or where it came from, then throw it away.

Why should you make the effort to do this? Because, in almost every case, the disruption caused and the effort required to put things right far outweigh the time taken for these simple precautions.

If you don't have the experience or knowledge to follow this advice, you may have colleagues who are willing to share their expertise; otherwise, please contact the Helpdesk, who will be able to advise you on this matter.