Cyber Security tips and good practice

1. Be aware of your obligations under Trinity's Policy on Anti-Virus Management.
2. Passwords: Don't reveal your passwords to anyone else. Your Trinity computer account and network login password act as your identity on the Trinity data network and restrict access to your email and other files to you. Guard your passwords and always change them if you suspect that they have become known to others. It is strictly against the published Trinity Policy to allow your Trinity accounts and passwords to be used by others.
3. Phishing: be vigilant to the possibility of phishing when reading emails, treat any email that asks for your username and password details with extreme caution, and be mindful of emails that contain hyper-links to sites. More information on this can be found on our phishing information page.
4. Downloading attachments or files: exercise caution when downloading or opening files from unsolicited emails or websites, if you receive an email with attachments you were not expecting, check with the sender before you download and open. Similarly, if you are downloading free software or other content from the internet be mindful that such files may contain hidden or "trojan" viruses that could infect your pc. Also, don't forget to be careful when your web browser prompts you to install software or other files; if in doubt, close and relaunch the browser and visit the relevant website to download the software from a reliable source. 
5. Install Anti-virus: Make sure you have anti-virus software installed. Trinity has a site licence for the installation of Anti-Virus software for Staff and Postgraduates connected to the Trinity network in offices and labs. Students should also ensure that their computers have the latest security updates installed.
6. Update your virus definitions: configure your anti-virus software to update regularly. We recommend a daily update interval. This can be set to be automatic so you don't have to do anything daily apart from being logged on to the network at the specified update time. The updating only takes a few minutes and occurs in the background so you can continue to use your machine during the process.
7. Scan your computer: Use your anti-virus software to scan your computer regularly. Anti-virus software typically consists of two components - a detection element (the virus definitions), which can detect known viruses and prevent them from triggering, and a cleaning element (the engine) which can disinfect viruses that may already be on your computer. Scans can be set to run automatically or manually.
8. Update your Windows/macOS: Stay current on software security updates for your software. All software companies are constantly releasing patches and updates to fix security issues, as well as other flaws discovered in their products. These flaws are what virus writers and hackers exploit to gain access to your data. Make sure you stay ahead of the hackers and keep your software up-to-date. A quick and easy way to do this for Microsoft Windows users is to run 'windows update' from the icon on your start menu.
9. Backup your data: Back up your files regularly will mean that you always have a copy of your important work. Viruses are not the only reason you can lose files. Other contributory factors can include hardware failures, software crashes, or even the loss/theft of computer equipment, so always back up regularly any essential files. Remember to back up your documents, images, and other data.