Securing Your Computer

What do I need to do before connecting?

While security is an important issue, fortunately it requires just a little initial set up to avoid most threats. If you have an active subscription to an anti-virus program, download all Critical Updates from Windows Update and have a firewall then you will be in good shape. You may also want a spyware scanner like AdAware to help remove Spyware.

Setting up Anti-virus and Firewall software

New computers often come with a trial version of McAfee or Norton Antivirus. Unless you plan on paying for a subscription to these services, their trial versions will quickly become useless once the trial expires. UGA provides a free subscription to the anti-virus and firewall program F-Secure for students. You must remove any other anti-virus program before installing F-Secure. Go to Add/Remove Programs on your computer's Control Panel to make sure you don't have Norton or McAfee installed. Installing two anti-virus programs may lead to your computer not working correctly. Next, Download F-Secure and install it. You will need your UGA MyID which is provided at orientation to access the download. This is the same as your e-mail ID and password.

Windows Update

Critical Updates are free and patch security holes which Microsoft finds in its Windows operating system. Go to http://www.windowsupdate.com in Internet Explorer and make sure you have downloaded all Service Packs and Critical Updates. Recommended Updates and other suggested downloads from this service are optional and may not provide any benefit to you. You should also make sure "Automatic Updates: Turned On" appears with a green shield on the right side of the site. These will download updates when they are released so you do not have to visit the site weekly.

Spyware software

Spyware is more of an aggravation than a security threat, as it often causes excessive pop-ups, web page redirects, and other connection problems. We suggest downloading either AdAware or Windows Defender and periodically running a scan to remove spyware on your computer.

What do I do after these are installed?

F-Secure, Windows Update and Windows Defender should keep themselves up to date. If any of these programs become outdated, make sure to update them. F-Secure and Defender are always running and scan new files as you receive them. However you should still periodically run a scan of your system in case they miss something. To run F-Secure, double click on the blue triangular F by the clock on your start bar, then choose Virus Protection, and finally "Scan for viruses now". Otherwise these programs require very little attention to keep your computer secure. For other security suggestions, such as using an alternative web browser, please visit our Security section.