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One Step Ahead: Update and Patch

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Another tip in a series provided by the Offices of Information Security, Information Systems & Computing and Audit, Compliance & Privacy

Scenario

Lara is a Penn employee working in one of the school’s administrative offices. She accesses work-related systems online using a browser. She installed several plugins, sometimes referred to as extensions, for easy access to online applications like Adobe, Zoom, and a password manager.

Lara often receives notifications to run browser and extension updates. She ignores them during the busy work season. A month before sending out annual letters, Lara could not access one of the systems essential to completing her tasks.

She called her IT (information technology) support staff for help. They reset the system and cleaned the device of potential malware. Lara lost a significant amount of data. Unfortunately, she did not maintain a regular backup of the data she handles.

What to Do

Software companies issue updates, referred to as patches, when system vulnerabilities or exploits are discovered. The vulnerability may enable a hacker to compromise the system by accessing users’ credentials and information.

To avoid data loss and the inability to access essential systems at work, take the following weekly steps:

  1. Back up your data.
  2. Run software and extension updates when notified.
  3. Run anti-virus software.
  4. Use software supported by your school/center IT staff.
  5. Consult with IT support staff before installing an extension or software on the device.
  6. Ask for IT assistance when your device is malfunctioning.
  7. Follow Penn’s Data Risk Classification guidelines.

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