Protection for end devices
Take protective measures
The most important protection against computer security problems is the regular updating of the security software used and the installation of updates or patches as soon as possible after they appear.
Although some time always elapses between the discovery or publication of a security vulnerability and its elimination through software corrections, in the vast majority of cases these vulnerabilities are only exploited and thus lead to cases of damage long after the corrections have been available.
Virus protection under Windows
All current Windows versions are equipped with the Microsoft Defender antivirus software as standard.
https://www.heise.de/download/product/windows-defender-41155
The ZIM considers this antivirus protection to be sufficient as a rule and, as standard software from the manufacturer Microsoft, it is well adapted to the operating systems.
Should you nevertheless decide to use other (additional) virus protection, you should always inform yourself well in advance, as the parallel use of several antivirus programmes in particular can lead to problems.
Virus protection under Mac
The most important and effective measure for virus protection on the Mac is prudent user behaviour. If you still do not want to do without virus protection software, the following commercial offers of virus protection software are available as of August 2022:
- ClamXAV for currently just under 21€ per year for users with a mail address from an educational institution such as HHU.
- ESET Cyber Security for about 30€ per year, depending on the licence model.
- Malwarebytes for currently 3.33€ per month (approx. 40€ per year).
- G DATA for Mac for approx. 40€ annually.
- Trend Micro Antivirus One from the App Store for approx. 3 USD monthly (approx. 36€, paid in-app sales could be triggered).
The service 'Virustotal', operated by Alphabet and Google, is also a very thorough virus scanning service, but only for scanning files that clearly cannot contain confidential, critical or personal information. Data leakage cannot be ruled out when using the website as well as the local desktop apps available for macOS and Windows, among others.
Advice for the safe operation of (Microsoft) notebooks
The following list is intended to provide help in operating (Microsoft) notebooks "safely":
- An up-to-date Windows Defender should be running on the notebook.
- The firewall on the notebook should be activated.
- Windows Update must be activated or, on other operating systems, other mechanisms for automatically receiving security updates.
- Windows shares or file shares should be avoided.
- Administrator rights should not be used.
- Regular backups should be made of local data on the notebook.
In addition, the following rules apply so as not to jeopardise the operation of the HHU network:
- Users are not allowed to operate their own network servers, especially not DHCP servers. If this is necessary, the ZIM must be beforehand.
- Users are not allowed to act as WLAN transmitters themselves.