Student Security Guidelines

• Only Respond to Legitimate Email
  
  • Legitimate email from UCF will:
    
    • Come from a ucf.edu address
    • Not ask you to reply with personal information, login credentials or passwords
• Always check links provided in an email before you click on it
• If you receive an email from a stranger, and in some cases even from someone you know, never open email attachments or click on links embedded in the message without verifying with the sender via phone or in person.
• Never respond to spam (unsolicited email) or click “unsubscribe” links – often that adds you to a list for more spam.
• Never respond to email solicitations requesting “verification” or requesting personal information: this is likely a fraud or an identity theft scheme. This is phishing!

• Keep Passwords Strong
  • Never share a password
  • View 501 Password Standards
• Lock your laptop before you walk away
• Keep your computer and anti-virus software up to date

• Use Unique, Strong Passwords
  • If it’s in any dictionary or someone’s name – it’s a bad password: don’t use it!
  • Use a mnemonic, such as the first letter of a song verse or phrase, while adding in numbers, symbols, ($, %, !), and UPPER/ lower case letters.
  • Select a password that is a minimum of 8 characters.
  • Change your password if you suspect someone else has it.
  • Never write down a password.
  • Do not give your password to anyone, not even the Service Desk!
  • View 501 Password Standards
• Lock your laptop before you walk away
• Keep your computer and anti-virus software up to date

Malicious software, or malware, is written with malicious intent designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner’s consent.
Most malware is designed to gather information, such as internet history or keystrokes in an attempt to gain passwords, and send the information to a third party over the Internet.
All computing devices capable of running antimalware software should have an antimalware solution installed and kept up-to-date. Recommendations are:

• MS Security Essentials or Windows Defender
• Adaware
• Symantec or McAfee versions that also provide malware protection

Computer viruses attach to legitimate programs or executable files. They vary in their specific task, but they usually work the same. When an infected file is executed, the virus is also executed. The virus can then follow its programming and complete its task.
Viruses are grouped into several categories: plain viruses, e-mail viruses, worms, and Trojans.

Having up-to-date antivirus software on your computer is a necessity to protect against such malicious software. There are many antivirus solutions available, including Microsoft Security Essentials, Symantec, and McAfee.

• Before purchasing resources on the internet or providing any account information, always verify the site and make sure that it is secure. Look for “https” in the web address (note the “s”). This shows the website is encrypted.
• Email is not appropriate for sending sensitive or confidential information, as most email providers do not provide encryption.
• Never send credit card, bank account information, or your Social Security Number via email or instant messaging.