...
- Firewall is turned on.
- Guest user is turned off.
- Make sure remote file sharing to your machine is turned off.
- Do not use the Internet. We cannot guarantee the security of any machine that has entered MECREEK unless the Internet on the computer stays off. Turn the WiFi off, do not plug an Ethernet cable into the laptop.
- Do not let anyone plug usb flash drives into your computer. If someone needs to give you a legitimate file, email the file or put it in Drop Box.
- As of 2023 we are now also recommending users NOT user cloud services like Dropbox when traveling to MECREEK. The contents to the cloud services could be compromised or come under attack in hostile network environments.
- Use only non-administrator accounts. If your account currently has administrator level access or privileges, create a new administrator account, log into that account, and remove administrator access from your main account. This way if your account is compromised, the attacker has no rights to start installing things willy-nilly.
- If suddenly your computer is asking you for permission to install something that you didn't tell it or expect to install, you should say no. This is a trick used by bad actors to try to get you to install bad stuff that steals your data.
- All MIT machines should already have Sophos installed. Crowdstrike is strongly recommended as a second level of protection. Both programs can be downloaded from the links provided or the IS&T Software Downloads Page.
- When you are not using your machine, turn it off. A sleeping machine can be hacked. A computer that is turned off (shut down) cannot be hacked.
- Do not do system or applications upDATES or upGRADES while you are traveling. The risk is too high that something can and will go wrong.
- If you are thinking of getting a new computer for a trip, give yourself a minimum of 2 weeks before travel to set it up, install applications, install updates, and work out all the bugs. In our experience there is a 99% chance of encountering problems, some potentially serious, when you first migrate to a new machine. Give yourself sufficient time to work out all of the bugs BEFORE the trip.
...