Protecting Your Personal Computer

All computers connected to the internet are vulnerable to a myriad of security threats.  Several layers of security are installed in the Institute infrastructure to protect personal computers. 

However, even when we invest great effort in protecting ourselves from "online" threats, we sometimes forget that a break-in to our computer can originate from the computer itself.

Protecting your personal computer is one of the most important steps a user can take in order to avoid damage to the computer, the network, and the data it contains.  Many of us don't lock our office when we're not there, thereby exposing our personal computers to harm by unauthorized passers-by.

If the computer is in a public area, or even if it is locked inside an office, it is important to protect it with a password.  The personal computer should be locked in this way whenever the user is away from it, via a password and by automatically locking after not being used for a specified amount of time.

What follows are detailed instructions for how to create/change your password within the Institute network environment (in Windows XP, Windows 7, MacOSX), and how to set up a screen saver that will lock the computer after not being used for a specified amount of time.

 Creating a Password in Windows XP

We recommend creating a password for your computer, to be changed every three months.

The procedure is:

Start → Settings → Control panel → User accounts

 In the User Accounts interface, click on the desired user.

(The user name changes from computer to computer.  Most administrative computers in the Institute display either Administrator or Weizmann as the User Name.)

Click on Create Password.

You must enter the password twice, and you can enter a word or phrase that will serve as a hint to your password. 

Next, click on Create Password to complete the process.

 Creating a Screen Saver to lock your computer when not in use

In order to create a screen saver, right click on the Desktop.  Select Properties in the screen that opens:

Select the Screen Saver tab, and set your User Preferences as shown in the image below.

Make sure that On resume, password protect is checked.

We recommend 10 minutes as a reasonable amount of time after which to lock the computer.

Creating a Password in Windows 7

Open the Control Panel and choose Add or Remove User Account under User Accounts and Family Safety.

Choose user Weizmann of user type Administrator.

Click on Create Password.

Creating a screen saver in Windows 7

Right click on your Desktop and choose Personalize.

Choose Screen Saver in the lower right corner.

Mark the box On resume, display logon screen and choose the desired time frame in the left panel.

That's it! The system is now defined to request a password after any period of inactivity.

Creating a Password Mac OSX

Open System Preferences and choose Security.

Open the key with your regular initial password and choose:

Require password <immediately> after sleep or screen saver begins

Disable automatic login

Choose a screen saver in Desktop & Screen Saver and that's it! The system will now display the screen saver and request a password to enter.