Privacy and Security

You MUST keep your operating system up-to-date to avoid vulnerability to new exploits, which appear frequently.

How to Update Windows PC

Windows will automatically pull down updates and will alert you when the updates are ready to install in the taskbar.

To manually check for and install Windows updates go to Settings > Updates and select Check for Updates.

Before updating, make sure you save what you're working on and have some time to spare as depending on the size of the update it may take some time and the PC may need to reboot several times.

A guided walkthrough from Microsoft can be found here.

How to Update a Mac

An alert notification will appear in the top-right when an update is available for your Mac. Select it and choose install updates.

To manually check for updates, go to the Apple Menu > System Settings > General > Software Update.

Before updating, make sure you save what you're working on and have some time to spare as depending on the size of the update it may take some time and the PC may need to reboot several times.

A walkthrough from Apple can be found here.

All computers connected to the campus network require malware protection.

Any computers used by Faculty and Staff for UBC business should have Cisco AMP (a security endpoint detection software) installed. You can acquire a free copy of Cisco AMP here (sign in with your CWL credentials).

UBC students using personally owned computers are encouraged to refer to this page for guidance.

Phishing is a matter of an email tricking you into just giving away information, by replying or visiting a hostile website. Pay attention to all emails. Does the header make sense given what the message purports to be? Hold you mouse over any link BEFORE you click, to see where it will actually send you. Forward the phishing email as an attachment to security@ubc.ca. Find out how to forward emails as attachments here.

Please read through the guidelines to learn more about identifying phishing emails.