One Step Ahead: Working Off Campus? Some Tips to Consider |
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Another tip in a series provided by the
Offices of Information Systems & Computing and Audit, Compliance & Privacy
As the summer approaches, many faculty and staff find themselves working away from campus more often than during the academic year. While you are away from campus—whether at home or on the road—keep in mind that the Penn data you are working with is only as secure as the machine and the network you are using.
Make sure you are working on a computer that has software with up-to-date security patches, the firewall setting turned on and antivirus software installed. If you don’t keep your computer’s software up-to-date, you run a high risk of having your computer compromised.
Protect University data by using a dedicated computer that no one else uses or create a separate user account and data storage area on your device’s hard drive that will be reserved for your Penn work. If that’s not possible, use Remote Desktop to reach your campus computer, or consider using Penn+Box (https://upenn.box.com/), a cloud solution that lets you store and edit files securely over the Internet.
On the road, don’t use public access computers and don’t connect to unsecured wireless hot spots at hotels, airports, coffee shops or other public areas. On these computers and networks, malicious users can potentially access your email and web data as it is delivered to your device (depending on your applications settings).
Also, consider protecting your PennKey with Two Step Verification (two-factor). This service protects your PennKey by requiring both a password and a code generated on your phone: www.upenn.edu/computing/weblogin/two-step/
Be especially careful about what data you store on portable devices, like laptops, USB drives and smartphones. These are more easily lost or stolen and may require extra protections, like encryption or remote file deletion.
Talk to your Local Support Provider for assistance with any of these recommendations and to find the best working-off-campus solutions for you.
For more tips and information, see http://www.upenn.edu/computing/security/checklists/Top10/
For additional tips, see the One Step Ahead link on the Information Security website: www.upenn.edu/computing/security/ |
