INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND SERVICES: Technology Services

Information Security How-To Guides

The Information Security Office encourages everyone to become more "security aware' by better understanding their computing environment. Besides our security awareness materials, we'll also be posting how-to guides to help you with the simple things you can do to secure your own computer, data, and environment, so check back often. A secure office leads to a secure department, which leads to a secure university. It's up to you.

How to enable a password-protected screensaver in Microsoft Windows

1. Log onto the computer with your domain account (user name and password)

2. Right-click on an empty spot of the desktop

3. On the pop-up menu, select “Properties”

4. Click on the third tab, “Screen Saver”

5. Choose any screen saver in the drop down box

6. Next to “Wait:”, select 15 minutes or less

7. Check the box next to “On resume, password protect”

8. Click the “Apply” button, then the “OK” button

Now after 15 minutes or less, the screen saver will activate and require you to provide your password to log back in.

How to quickly lock your workstation in Microsft Windows

Never leave your computer unlocked and unattended while you're logged in, since everything done on the computer is tied to the person who is currently logged in. Lock it when you leave.

Locking your Windows-based computer takes less than a second, and doesn't even require Ctrl-Alt-Del. Simply press-and-hold the Windows key (the key with the Microsoft Windows logo" and then the letter "L". Your computer is now locked.

How to send secure e-mail

E-mail sent within the University (one "uthscsa.edu" account to another "uthscsa.edu" account) is protected from tampering and we can guarantee delivery. Any regular e-mail that leaves the campus can be captured and read by intruders.

To send sensitive information securely in e-mail, simply put two plus signs at the beginning of the Subject line.

windows+L

The two plus signs tell the e-mail server to route the message through our secure e-mail system. The recipient can read the e-mail, save it locally, and reply securely.

How to secure your fax

Generally, secure facsimile machines are found in federal government organizations for communicating securely with each other. They’re usually cost-prohibitive for most civilian and state organizations (like us), so the best approach is to secure the endpoints. Since we can’t use technology to fix the problem here, we must deal with the human factor. Here are our recommendations:

  1. Never have the fax machine in a public area. You want to make sure casual passers-by can’t just pick up the fax.
  2. It’s a generally accepted practice, but make sure you and those that send to you use fax cover sheets. Not only do these ensure proper routing when they arrive, but they help prevent casual viewing by those who don’t really need to see the fax.
  3. Make sure your documents are properly marked (for example, “Confidential”). If someone can’t tell it’s sensitive information, the fax could conceivably be left in an open pickup point or mailbox.
  4. Use positive control when sending and receiving faxes. Before you send a fax with sensitive information, call the receiving organization and make sure there’s someone there to pick it up. Similarly, ask those who send you faxes with sensitive information to call first so you’ll be ready to pick them up in a timely manner.

Combining these four recommendations will provide the greatest degree of protection to faxes.