Firewall
A firewall is an application that blocks unau-
thorized access to your
computer and can pre-
vent attempts to hijack
control of your computer
or steal files. Any time
you are connected to the
Internet you could be
FORDHAM IT
open to an attack. Win-
dows XP Service Pack 2 or 3 has a desktop
firewall that can be activated by selecting the For assistance, please contact:
Security Center Control Panel and clicking Computing Security
On next to Firewall. University Help Desk
With a firewall in place, Windows will occa- Phone: (718) 817-3999
for
sionally inform you that a process has been
blocked and give you the option to allow or
Email : helpdesk@fordham.edu Mobile Users
deny the application to proceed. If you are
Web : www.fordham.edu/helpdesk
sure the warning is about an application you Hours: 8AM - 8PM
wanted to run, click Allow. If you can’t figure Monday through Friday
what Windows is referring to, it is safer to
Block the process.
Additional IT Security
Information is available at:
Policy Information
www.fordham.edu/itsecurity
Fordham University IT Policies:
www.fordham.edu/itpolicies
Additional Software
True Crypt (Encryption Tool):
www.truecrypt.org/
Ad-Aware (Adware Removal Tool): Fordham IT
www.lavasoft.com www.fordham.edu/it
Spybot-S&D (Spybot Removal Tool): Rose Hill Campus
www.safer- Bronx, NY 10458 (718) 817-1000
networking.org/en/home/index.html
Lincoln Center Campus
New York, NY 10023 (212) 636-6000
Computing Security System Updates
Viruses Microsoft regularly releases security patches and
for Mobile Users It is vital, given how rampant viruses have become, bug fixes to Windows. The Windows Update utility
to make sure your computer is protected with anti- makes this process easy and should be configured
Theft viruses software. If you use a University owned to automatically download updates and then apply
One of the most common problems facing mobile computer, you already have Symantec antivirus them.
users is theft. If are in a public place with your installed and set up to automatically update virus To verify your Windows Update settings, open the
computer, do not turn your back on it even for a definitions. The University offers Symantec Client Security Center Control Panel and click on Auto-
minute. In the time, it takes you to turn away and Security (SCS) free to all members of the Fordham matic Updates in the Manage security settings sec-
then back, someone can grab your laptop, USB community. You can download SCS via: tion. Click the Automatic option, select Every Day
thumb drive or bag and vanish. www.fordham.edu/campus_resources/fordham_it/ and a time when you the computer is usually on
University owned laptops should be secured with help__support/software_downloads_24326.asp and connected to the internet.
an anti theft cable. Students should consider pur- For more information on Microsoft Windows Up-
chasing their own cables. While cables do not date, go to: windowsupdate.microsoft.com
prevent a determined thief with the time and pri- Spyware and Adware Macintosh users will automatically be prompted by
vacy to cut them, they go a long way toward pre- Spyware is an application that collects information the Software Update utility to download and install
venting casual theft by making it more difficult. without the user’s knowledge or permission. Name, updates when they become available.
email address, home address, ID and credit card For more information go to: www.apple.com/
Protect Your Data number are some examples of information that softwareupdate/
Losing your laptop is bad enough; you don’t want spyware applications can collect. Adware is an ap-
to add the loss of valuable data. You can always plication designed to deliver advertisements
replace a stolen laptop but, not necessarily the through pop-ups and browser redirects. Some ad- Fordham University Wireless
files that were on it. This problem can be espe- ware is designed to track surfing habits for market The University has many wireless access points on
cially severe if confidential information is compro- research purposes. Adware behaviors are gener-
all campuses, including McGinley Center, McMa-
mised. All data files are stored on a laptop hard ally more noticeable while spyware is designed to
hon Hall and multiple other locations. Data passed
drive or USB thumb drive should be backed up. go undetected. Both spyware and adware employ across the wireless network is sent in clear text and
If you must have confidential information on your similar tactics to install itself on a user’s computer.
can easily be “sniffed.” Generally speaking, with
laptop or USB thumb drives, you should consid- Fordham IT currently recommends Spybot and Ad-
the exception of your actual login, which encrypts
ered using file, folder or full disk encryption. Aware to help protect your computer from Spyware your username and password, the rest of the con-
and Adware. tent you send back and forth over the wireless net-
Virtual Private Networks work is unprotected. You should use caution while
The Fordham Virtual Private Network is a tool connected through wireless. If you are doing finan-
that allows users to access specific network re- cial transactions, or purchasing products on-line,
sources while off campus or on the public wire- be sure you are using a secure website.
less network (FORDHAMRH & FORDHAMLC). Depending on where you are working, you may see
The VPN provides a secure connection to Ford- multiple wireless networks. Make sure you are con-
ham’s network. necting to the right access point and not a “rogue”
network.
For more information on the Fordham VPN see: Students are not allowed to setup their own access
www.fordham.edu/campus_resources/ points anywhere on campus.
fordham_it/services/vpn/ For more information on wireless access, please
check go to:
www.fordham.edu/campus_resources/fordham_it/
services/wireless/index.asp