Securing an Operating System, Essays (university) of Computer Security

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Securing an Operating System CYB/110/Week 2 15 May 2018 Professor Jasper Lee Green

Securing an Operating System Cybersecurity is a tremendous concern for everyone. From major corporations to teenagers surfing the internet. Big companies have enormous budgets to put in place a giant shield against cyber intrusion. What about the average person, what can they do to ward off cyber-attacks? Fortunately, Windows and Mac operating systems do have some features in place to help us all sleep sound at night. Taking some of the following steps can significantly improve personal computer security.

1. Lock the system when not in use or ‘system lock'. In discussing the system lock method Smith (2016) stated "enables users to set a password for the computer or device, either manually or automatically" (p. 16). When the window is on the locked screen, a prompt informs user to enter password. This helps prevent unauthorized access and provides protection of data. 2. Create and change user account password allows users to make a new password associated with a new user account. This allows a person to have their own log on and Windows environment. Everyone should know the importance of having a strong password and having the ability to change it for each Windows account. A weak password is not the best defense against unauthorized entry. Another feature, 3. Disable Guest Account is a necessary tool in Windows. Guess accounts give Admins better control over what users do on their PCs. A guest user cannot access data on the device, nor uninstall or install software or set up new hardware, or change account/computer settings. A good simile is "It is like locking one's house and leaving the window open" (Smith, 2016, p. 22). Every computer should have enable automatic updates- 4. Enable Automatic Software Updates ensures good health for your computer and the ability to automatically install ‘updates'. These are periodic patches released by Microsoft and Apple to fix or update their

References Smith, R. (2016). Elementary information security. (2nd ed.). 14-71. Jones & Barlett. EC- Council. Retrieved from https://phoenix.vitalsource.com/#/books 9781635671070/cfi/20!/4/4@0.00:0. Microsoft. (2018). Windows 7: Security features. Safety & Security Center. Microsoft.com Retrieved from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/safety/pc-security/windows7.aspx