Be Cyber Smart—Restart

The simplest way to make sure your computer, apps, phones, and other devices stay up-to-date and patched with the latest security upgrades is to set them to auto-update. How to do this varies depending on what you're using, but here are links to instructions for some of the most common operating systems and apps.

Find more, including links to instructions, see Tips for the NYU Community: Updating Tech and Apps.

You may need to restart or approve a restart of your app, phone, or computer for updates to take effect, even if they were automatically downloaded and installed.

Don't put off restarting! Sure, it's a little annoying to have to reboot your computer or close a browser full of open tabs, but it's essential to ensure the update is fully completed. Restarting is much less annoying and a lot less time-consuming than getting hacked and losing your data or identity.

Some apps, particularly browsers, may display an easy-to-miss button that says "Complete Update" once an update has been downloaded but not fully installed. Browsers are among the most frequently updated apps, so keep an eye.

• Tip: Browser running slow after an update has completed? If so, close it one more time and reopen. That often helps speed up load times.

Endpoint Management, which you may also hear referred to as Big Fix, is NYU's centrally-managed system for distributing critical updates and patches to NYU-owned computers. It is the core application of a suite of cybersecurity products that help safeguard NYU's community and network infrastructure.

Whether you call them apps or software, they're all things you install and run on your computer or phone: cameras, browsers, Adobe and Microsoft products, music players—anything and everything. Make sure they're all up-to-date and set to run automatic updates.

And if you installed it but never use it? Delete it. Forgotten apps can pose a cybersecurity threat—plus, who doesn't need that extra storage space?

A botnet is a network of private computers (which could include your personal computer as well as your NYU equipment) infected with malicious software (malware) and controlled as a group without the owners' knowledge. A compromised computer becomes part of a large army used most often to send huge amounts of spam messages or engage in a DDoS attack (see below).

A cookie, in tech terms, is a file websites use to store information about its users. This can be info essential to the function of the site (the fact that you've logged in, for example), but cookies can also be used to harvest personal information and track your browsing history, even after you've left the site.

Browsers have a variety of settings that help you control the types of cookies attempting to collect info about you.

Cybercriminals and hackers are people attempting to access your personal and NYU tech for malicious ends, usually to facilitate a cyberattack or steal personal information.

It's not entirely fair to use the two terms synonymously, however, as there are many hackers who work to actively detect and protect against cybersecurity vulnerabilities. However, in everyday usage, the two words are often interchangeable.

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is one of the most common types of cyberattacks. It occurs when a large number of computers, often composed of hacked computers that have become part of a botnet (see above), send large quantities of data toward a website or app with the intention of overwhelming it and causing severe slowdowns or outages.

Device is shorthand for anything you may use to connect to the internet. Because the list is long, new tech is always being introduced, and the cybersecurity concerns are basically the same across all of them, it's easier (and a lot less words) to group the together under "device." 

Examples includes but are not limited to:

• computers (desktop and laptop)
• smart phones such as iPhones and Androids
• tablets such as iPads
• smart watches
• ebook readers such as Kindles

An operating system (OS) is the underlying software that runs your tech. Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android are all examples of an operating system.

It's important that you keep your OS, both on your phone and computer, up-to-date in order to avoid cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any information that could help someone identify who you are. This can include name, date of birth, Social Security Number, medical information, address, physical description, and more.

A security patch is a critical type of update meant to fix specific cybersecurity vulnerabilities. It is the most important type of update an app or operating system can receive.

Because cyberattacks are always evolving and exposing new weaknesses, it's crucial that you install updates and security patches and then restart your device or app to ensure the update completes.