Secure Your Computer

Why Secure My Computer?

Every unprotected computer that connects to NYU’s network is a potential open door for cyber criminals. The threat extends beyond security for your computer to those of your NYU colleagues, NYU’s network, and University data.

NYU, guided by section 1.4 of NYU’s Data & Systems Security policy, continues to respond to growing cyber threats by implementing a multi-layered approach to cybersecurity, including maintaining an accurate inventory of computers and deploying security updates, patches, and advanced anti-malware software.

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NYU IT partners with technology teams across Schools and Units to protect NYU’s intellectual property, confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.

We encourage all members of our community to take an active role in protecting NYU from cyber threats. (Learn more about cybersecurity awareness). Please report viruses or suspicious activity on your computer using NYU IT’s Cyber Incident Response form.

Protect My Computer and Help Protect the University

Security for My NYU-owned Computer

IT Teams across NYU use a set of tools to help manage inventory, install software and security patches, and the latest anti-malware updates on NYU-owned computers. These tools allow IT professionals to quickly detect, respond to, and remediate cyber incidents and vulnerabilities.

See the latest tools in the table below.

Security for My Personally-owned Computer

NYU’s commitment to cybersecurity extends to your personally-owned computer that connects to NYU’s network. We encourage you to install anti-malware protection software on your personally-owned computer and keep it up-to-date.

Contact your local IT Support team to learn about any additional School or Unit specific options.

See the latest tools in the table below.

Role-based Information

Faculty and Researchers

Your School IT team will schedule the necessary updates for your NYU-owned computer. Contact your local IT Support team to learn about the frequency and scheduling of updates.

Administrators & Staff

Your School or Unit IT team will schedule the necessary updates for your NYU-owned computer. Contact your local IT Support team to learn about the frequency and scheduling of updates.

Adjunct Faculty

We encourage you to install anti-malware protection software on your personally-owned computer and keep it up-to-date.

Students

We encourage you to install anti-malware protection software on your personally-owned computer and keep it up-to-date.

What NYU policies guide our approach to cybersecurity?

NYU has a multi-layered approach to cybersecurity, including policies, standards, and tools to protect the accuracy, privacy, and security of NYU network, data, and records. For a full list of policies see the IT policies page.

How is my privacy protected?

The tools used to secure your computer do not collect any content, files, or application content from your computer. The exception is in cases where NYU becomes legally required to do so. See Policy on Requests to NYU Information Technology (NYU IT) to Support Investigations.

Tool Name	Ownership	What it Does	Information Used
BigFix and Workspace ONE	NYU-owned	Both tools manage inventory, automate deployment of software installations, security patches, and updates	Computer name, hardware information, and operating system version, does not collect any content, files, or application content
Endpoint Protection (Cortex XDR)	NYU-owned	Actively protects against malware, password scraping, ransomware, and other threats	File path, network connection information, and device information, does not collect any content, files, or application content
Vulnerability Management (InsightVM)	NYU-owned	Creates real-time reports for NYU security professionals to prioritize actions to protect our environment	Vulnerability data and live system information, including basic asset identification information, running processes, and file versions, does not collect any content, files, or application content
Endpoint Protection (Malwarebytes)	Personally-owned	Provides real time protection against anti-malware and ransomware	Does not collect any content, files, or application content from your computer

Why did I get a security pop-up?

When you see a security message or pop-up from the tools listed above, it means that the security software is working, protecting your computer and NYU’s network. Security and vulnerability updates are released by BigFix and Cortex XDR when they become available, not on a set schedule. Some updates and patches come from Zoom, Microsoft, or Apple, others are for browsers and plugins.

Pop-ups notify you about these important updates. See examples of pop-ups below.