The information technology department at the University of Missouri-Rolla is offering free anti-virus software to faculty and staff during October, which is Cyber Security Awareness Month.

In addition to the anti-virus software, the IT department will conduct weekly drawings for prizes through the end of October. The first drawing will be on Tuesday, Oct. 11. IT customers may register for the drawings at the Technology Showcase in the Computer Science Building on campus. The deadlines to register will be at 4:30 p.m. on Mondays prior to each drawing.

The prizes are as follows:

Week one – McAffee Antivirus for all faculty and staff. (Students already have free access to the software.) No registration required. To download the software for free, go to http://it.mst.edu/software/antivirus/.

Week two – A jump drive with encryption software. The drawing for this prize will be on Tuesday, Oct. 11.

Week three – A professional version of AntiSpyware software. The drawing for this prize will be on Tuesday, Oct. 18.

Week four – An anti-theft security card for laptops. The drawing for this prize will be on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

The UMR IT department is also providing a list of hints and suggestions related to cyber security, including:

– Install an anti-virus solution and keep it up to date.

– Regularly install security patches and updates from authorized websites. For instance, Windows XP users should download patches from http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com.

– Some email and instant message links can take you to pages that will automatically load malicious code onto your system; copy and paste links of unknown origin to your browser instead of clicking on them. Another technique is to hover your mouse over the link. If the tool-tip does not match the link in the message, don’t click on it.

– Don’t allow your web browser to save passwords when others have easy access to your computer. If you forget to log out, the next person who uses the machine for web browsing might have access to your online accounts.

– If your computer stores sensitive information, don’t browse the web. Computers that are used to hold classified data shouldn’t be used for web browsing.

The theme for week one is “Anti-virus Protection and Safe Web Surfing Tips.” More tips are available here. If you have any questions about these items or would like assistance with configuring your web browser for maximum security, contact the IT Solutions Center at 341-HELP or submit an online Help Request at http://help.mst.edu.