Keeping yourself safe online
To connect a laptop or PC to the wired network you must have your Operating System up-to-date and an anti-virus program installed. If you are connecting via Eduroam, there is no checking in place but we still highly recommend that you install a good anti-virus program. All members of the University can download the Sophos anti-virus program for free – see https://help.it.ox.ac.uk/viruses/index for more information.
We are seeing more and more cases of sophisticated phishing attacks (emails pretending to come from the University attempting to get you to enter your username and password into a fake website). If you have your password stolen in this way then it can result in your SSO account being blocked by the University – which will prevent you accessing your email, WebLearn and many other University services. Please read the information at https://help.it.ox.ac.uk/phishing/index and help keep your account protected.
Protecting your data
You put a lot of effort into the essays and dissertations that are part of your course at the University and you do not want to lose your hard work! Please make sure that you keep copies of your work, and we would recommend that you use more than one method of backing up your data. There are many on-line backup services (Microsoft OneDrive, iCloud, Dropbox, Google drive, etc) available and you can also use an external hard drive or USB stick. If you need advice on the best method for you, then please visit us in the ICT Office.
If your computer is no longer in warranty then we would recommend registering your computer with the University Hardware Breakdown Service which provides breakdown cover at an economic price.
