Security

Welcome to the Claremont McKenna College security and safe computing website. This area of our website is designed to raise awareness of computer security and safe computing practices. You will find security policies, procedures, documentation, and tools to help you practice safe and secure computing.

Updates

Make sure to run all updates for your system. This is important for both Windows and Macs.

  • For Windows users, open Internet Explorer, click on the "Tools" menu and choose "Windows Update". Make sure to get all high priority updates.
  • For Macintosh computers, click on the Apple in the top left, and choose "Software Update".

Both should be set to automatically update.

Passwords

Use a strong password both for your network and email password as well as for your computer! "password" is bad; "P1zzaisg00d" is much better.

  • Use a pass phrase instead of a single word. "Pizza Is Good" is three words.
  • Substitute numbers or symbols or switch the case of letters.
  • Make it something you can remember so you don't have to write it down!

Welcome to the Claremont McKenna College security website. This area of our website is designed to raise awareness of computer security. You will find security policies, procedures, security documentation, and tools to help you test the configuration of your system.

Stay Current

Stay Informed

FAQs

 

Why should I be concerned about the security of my computer?

Computer security is something that every user should understand. It is very important to have the knowledge to deter exploits and attacks from the internet. With the increasing use of computers to store private information and making purchases using the internet, we can become targets for hackers. If a hacker can break into, or a virus infects your machine, all your sensitive information can be used to commit fraud in your name. Additionally, employees can be held legally liable should this data be compromised because of lax security on the personally owned system of the employee.

What can I do?

The first thing to remember is that no computer that is connected to a network or the internet can be totally secure, but it can be protected well-enough to deter hackers. Computers owned by CMC have a high level of protection in place, but anyone using these systems should still utilize safe computing practices.

Who would want to break into my computer?

Believe it or not, hackers want to use your system to perform attacks on other machines. Having control of your computer gives them the ability to hide their own information as they perform attacks on your behalf. Hackers may be able to watch all of your activities you perform, or cause damage by changing your data or reformatting your hard drive.

How easy would it be to break into my computer?

Hackers are always looking for new ways to find vulnerabilities within computer software especially operating systems. When these vulnerabilities are discovered, software vendors work to develop patches to try and rectify the problem. Most of these cases can be avoided by simply keeping your software up to date. Some software can be automatically updated, while others require manual installation. One key factor to avoid becoming a victim is to keep your software up to date.

What do I do if I have a problem?

Please contact the Help Desk at extension 70911