Securing Your University-owned Computer

Overview

At North Central University, we strive to provide a safe and secure computing environment for the campus community and recommend that you follow safe computing practices. Some of the responsibility for securing devices falls to users.  

Tips for Securing Your University-owned Computer

• If you're leaving your office, lock your computer. It's dangerous to assume that office areas are inherently less tempting to nosy or malicious people. If the opportunity is there, someone can (and will) take it. Locking your computer is a simple process that involves tapping a few keys on your keyboard:
  • Windows - Press the Windows and L keys together ( + L).
  • MacOS X - Press Command + Control + Q keys together.
• Choose strong passwords and change them regularly. A strong password is at least 10 characters long and contains a mix of uppercase, lowercase and numbers or symbols. It should be complex enough to satisfy these requirements, yet easy enough to remember without having to write it down. 
• Deny web browser requests to "save" your passwords. While this feature may be convenient, anyone with direct access to your web browser can easily discover your passwords.
• Do not store sensitive information on USB drives. Furthermore, private university information should never be stored on USB drives. These can be easily stolen or lost. If you must use USB drives for backup of important files, be sure to encrypt the contents to protect them. Encryption features are built into Windows and MacOS X.