Securing Windows
Securing any computer system starts with the following steps:
- Good password selection for ALL enabled accounts.
- Using some sort of firewall protection. This can either be firewall software built into the Operating System, third-party personal firewall products or a separate firewall system.
- Minimizing the number of services, particularly network services, that the computer is running.
- Keep up-to-date with OS and application security patches.
General Microsoft Windows Tips
- Use Windows Update (also available through the Tools menu of Internet Explorer) regularly to keep up with security patches. Modern Windows systems also have the ability to install updates automatically. It is recommended that you use the automatic update option. Please see the appropriate page for setup instructions for your operating system.
- Make sure that you have up-to-date antivirus software installed and that the virus definition files are updated at least daily. If you don't have any, all UNL students, faculty and staff are licensed to use McAfee VirusScan. Details can be found at http://antivirus.unl.edu.
- Install and enable a personal firewall. Several are available for free and are listed on the UNL Network Security Tools page. Windows XP has one built-in.
- Install and run Microsoft's Baseline Security Advisor (MBSA) tool. The MBSA checks for a wide variety of security holes, including missing patches, weak passwords, and insecure Windows settings.
- Install, update and run one or more spyware/adware detection tool (several are listed in the tools section). NOTE: Some applications, such as KaZaa install ad-ware programs that will be detected by these programs. If you remove the adware files, it may cause the application to stop functioning.
- Be careful what programs you run. Many common applications, including Internet Explorer and KaZaa, can be quite vulnerable to attacks that can let an attacker gain control of your computer, bypassing firewalls, passwords and other security measures.
The Internet Storm Center of SANS has published a guide to keeping a Windows XP system safe during the install/patching process:
