Viruses & Worms

Most modern personal computers are vulnerable to attacks from "viruses" or "worms" than are introduced as email attachments or as invisible adjuncts to files on floppy disks or any other transfer medium.  Microsoft Windows operating systems and related products are the most vulnerable, because of their predominance in the market.  However, Apple Macintosh and even Linux/Unix users still need to be careful.

NortonAntiVirus

Yale University has purchased a University-wide license for the Symantec Norton AntiVirus product for Windows and Macintosh.  All users should download and use the product from Yale's software site.

Network Attacks

Any computer attached to Yale's network (the Internet) also risks attack from other computers on the network.  Intruders sometimes try to guess or deduce users' account names and passwords.  They will also exploit known system bugs to gain illicit entry.

Since all computers have such vulnerabilities, all users (owners) must observe good maintenance practices.  Fundamentally, this means to be aware of security updates as they are announced and to install patches and upgrades in a timely manner.  See the ITS recommendations.  Unfortunately, this is not a cheap process, and every system from the lowliest PC to the research supercomputer needs professional attention.  The cost of an intrusion can be extreme, however.  You can lose all  your data and be forced to rebuild your computer system from scratch. 

Physical Security

Laptops.  To deter theft of your laptop computer, we strongly recommend the "STOP" program of Yale Security.  This places an indelible brand and tracking code on your machine.