By Audience: Windows Users

Links of particular interest to Windows users:

• Antivirus home
  Introduction to antivirus software provided by the University of Illinois, including the Antivirus CD that cleans up already-infected computers.

• Anti-spyware software
  Spyware is a threat that's less well known than viruses, but just as widespread in the Windows world. Learn more about how to keep your computer protected from infiltrators who may be tracking your website visits and possibly even your passwords.

• Securing your operating system
  Recommendations for securing your computer, divided by operating system. The contents of these pages are more advanced than the contents of the "Securing your Computer" wizard.

• File sharing
  This section discusses understanding and securing different types of file sharing: operating system-native file sharing, client-server file sharing, and peer-to-peer file sharing.

• Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA)
  Frequently used by system administrators on servers, but also suitable for Windows 2000 and XP workstations, the MBSA software performs a thorough security analysis of your computer's settings and provides recommendations for improving security.

• Personal firewalls
  Personal firewalls are particularly recommended for intermediate to advanced users on any operating system. Personal firewalls protect from attacks that antivirus software cannot detect. Free personal firewalls are available for most systems.

• PasswordVault
  If you have difficulty remembering all the different user names and passwords required by different websites and servers, PasswordVault provides secure storage for your user name and password information.

• Secure Shell (SSH) and Secure FTP (SFTP)

Now required by many servers on campus and around the world, Secure Shell (SSH) is a secure replacement for the insecure telnet protocol, and Secure FTP (SFTP) is a secure replacement for the insecure FTP protocol. Available from the Software WebStore, CITES recommends that you use SSH and SFTP to protect your passwords whenever possible.