Back to School: Computer Security for Students

September 2005

Students are one of the groups most targeted by identity thieves and computer hackers. Students work in many different computing environments and are often among the least protected against intrusions. They also frequently lack the knowledge that would help keep them safe.

If you are a student or know someone who is, read on to learn how to keep yourself safe from the array of tactics that identity thieves and hackers use to exploit students.

1. Article - How Can Students Avoid Becoming Victims of Identity Theft?
• What You Need to Know: 7 Critical Security Issues
• What You Need to Have: Tools to Protect Yourself
2. Suggested Products - Tools to Protect Students
   

How Can Students Avoid Becoming Victims of Identity Theft?

Identity theft attacks increase in number and sophistication every day, and students are among the most targeted groups (BankRate.com published an article about how students are targeted). Even schools that take strong preventative measures sometimes experience security breaches—Brigham Young University had a breach at one of its computer labs, even though all the labs have security measures in place and the students are required to follow a code of ethics.

There are certain things you need to know and certain tools you need to have in order to frustrate identity thieves and avoid becoming their next victim.

What You Need to Know: 7 Critical Security Issues

Insecure Computing Environments

Students use a variety of computing environments. While most campus networks are secure, wireless networks, networks in housing complexes, and friends' computers are all potentially insecure and dangerous to use. Students need to verify the security of these networks before entering any of their personal information into these machines. It is a good idea to visit bank websites or any other site that can impact you financially using your own computer. Even on secure networks, cookies and your Internet surfing history can be left behind on computers you use. Files should be saved to removable media (USB keys, disks, Zip disks, external hard drives, CD-RWs, etc.) that you can carry with you instead of on the network hard drive.

Multiple Users per Machine

Computers in campus labs, libraries, or dormitories have multiple users that access each machine. Be careful what information you enter into these machines because there may be other users who can see or later access this information. It is also extremely important to be careful what you do when using a roommate's computer and even more critical to allow only people you trust to use your computer. Make sure to password protect your account. Create a guest account with limited privileges for your friends to use.

Rented or Borrowed Machines

Computers that students rent or borrow have to be returned to their original owners—and it's impossible to know what will happen to any data that is left on the machine. Your data must be securely deleted from a rented or borrowed machine before you give it back or you run the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft.

Phishing Scams

Students are often the targets of phishing scams. Scamsters send e-mails that pose as legitimate e-mails from schools, financial institutions, and popular web sites asking for further information, account details, or confirmation notices that require usernames and passwords. Responding to these phony e-mails puts your personal information directly in the hands of these "phishers." E-mail filtering and a great deal of caution must be exercised when using e-mail. Most legitimate institutions will not ask you to send them information by e-mail—they will instruct you to visit the correct web site. Make sure the web site is the legitimate site! When in doubt, call the institution and talk to them over the phone.

Mail

Students' mail facilities are often insecure. Unlocked, shared, or public mailboxes are great targets for identity thieves. Thieves will rifle through the mail to find personal information that they can use to their advantage. Check your mail frequently, and, if possible, get a mailbox that locks. Send your bills and other mail from a secure dropbox or from a post office.

Garbage

Dumpster diving is a favorite identity-theft tactic. Make sure to shred important documents that need to be thrown away.

Gathering of Unnecessary Personal Information

Students routinely give out personal information to multiple sources, offices, departments, and so on. Often this personal information is unnecessary—for example, ask if a PIN number, password, or other ID number can be used instead of your Social Security Number. Only give out the bare minimum of information that is required. This will reduce your risk of becoming a victim of identity theft.

What You Need to Have: Tools to Protect Yourself

Firewall Software

Gaining a direct, unauthorized connection to your computer is often one of the first goals of an identity thief or computer hacker. Properly installed and configured firewall software will block nearly all unauthorized connections to your machine, drastically reducing the chances of becoming a victim of identity theft, spyware, or a virus.

It is a good idea to enable the firewall software included with Windows and to install a third party product like Zone Alarm from Zone Labs (There is a free version of Zone Alarm).

Anti-Virus Software

Computer viruses are programs that propagate themselves from computer to computer without authorization. They usually cause some kind of damage to machines, networks, or files as they go. They can be difficult to remove, and some can even destroy all the data on your computer.

In order to combat viruses, you need to promptly install software updates that come out for your computer's operating system and all the other programs you use—these updates often include security updates that will make your computer less vulnerable to an attack. Your computer will generally display a notification in the lower right corner of your screen when an update is available.

You also need to have multiple anti-virus solutions available for your computer, including a registered product (like Norton, McAfee, or Panda anti-virus programs), a free anti-virus program, and a free online anti-virus program. Registered products will do the best job of protecting and repairing your system from virus attacks. Unfortunately, some viruses specifically attack registered anti-virus programs, so it is a good idea to have two or more free solutions available. They will help you to repair viruses that attack the registered programs and will occasionally catch viruses that the registered products won't.

Anti-Spyware Software

Spyware and adware are programs that can record information (files, keystrokes, etc.) from your computer and display ads without your permission. This is the fastest growing type of computer fraud and among the most dangerous—instead of simply ruining files on your computer, spyware can record your passwords and login IDs for identity thieves who can then go on shopping sprees at your expense.

As with anti-virus programs, it's a good idea to have more than one anti-spyware solution. Good paid programs include Spyware Doctor, AluriaSoftware's Spyware Eliminator, and Ad-Aware. Free solutions that are very good include Spybot:Search and Destroy and Lavasoft's Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition.

Hard Drive Cleaner

Occasionally, despite your protection, someone will get through your defenses and start snooping around your machine. If you use a hard drive cleaner regularly, though, there won't be anything there for the thief or hacker to steal. Thieves can't steal what isn't there, and a hard drive cleaner such as SecureClean can keep your hard drive free of personal information.

Password Manager

A password manager that encrypts your passwords and files will allow you to keep sensitive information on your computer safe. It will also allow you to use and organize secure login IDs and passwords without having to use the insecure auto-fill features that are included in most major browsers. MySecurityVault is a powerful password manager that encrypts your passwords and files.

File Recovery Tool

If you should happen to accidentally delete files or lose them due to a format of your hard drive, a virus infection, an unexpected system shutdown, or a software failure, you have a good chance of being able to recover your files with a program like Recover My Files. You may not have to retype that term paper after all!

Backup Tool and Supplies

There is no sense in risking your files and data needlessly. Use a backup utility and storage disks, CDs, etc. to periodically backup all of your important files and data. Transferring them to a second computer with Intellimover can also be a good backup solution.

Hard Drive Eraser

After you are done renting or borrowing a computer and are ready to return it, you need to clean off the hard drive to prevent your files from falling into the wrong hands (like an unethical employee, another student, or an identity thief who digs the discarded computer out of the garbage). You can completely wipe it clean with a product like WipeDrive, or, if the operating system needs to remain installed, you can clean up your files with a product like SecureClean.

In Conclusion

If you will remember the information presented here and use the recommended tools, you will dramatically reduce your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft. Most thieves will be frustrated and move on to easier targets. You will be able to finish your education experience with your identity, finances, and data intact. We wish you the best of luck!

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