Going off to college....

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jeepster485

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In the next couple weeks I will be heading off to college, taking my laptop and desktop with me. Because of this, the security of my computers is a bit of a concern. What kind of steps can I take to ensure that I can easily network between the two computers and not have any unwanted guests gain access to them? Also, has anyone tried some of the laptop/desktop security software that sends emails if any network settings are changed (LapCop, MacPhoneHome, Lost and Found, etc)? Any recommendations for this software? I'd like some sort of recovery software in the event my iBook grows legs and walks off. Thanks!
 
OS X has a built in Firewall. You can set it to allow only the networked computer and block all others.
Or, you can get Norton's Personal Firewall. It will show you a log of who tried and failed to get access. That will prevent any changes to your computer.

As for growing legs, you first should have the user log in set. Of course that will mean that every time you boot up, you will need to enter in the password.
Get a computer lock system for the iBook and lock it to the desk in your room.

What fine university are you headed to?
 
Another thing you could do that gives you rock solid security from the outside world (well, almost...) is buy a router. With a router connected to the University LAN and then both your computers connected to the router, it is real easy to set up a network.
And yeah, any tips for a college bound juinor on searching/selecting his college?
 
Where are you coming from, Mr. K, and with what kind of associates degree (if any)?

Search for colleges that offer degrees in what you want to do, then narrow them down by location, size, kind of school, etc. If you want to go to a small school on the West Coast to major in computer graphics, for example, the Academy of Art College in San Francisco would be perfect. Personally, I'll be going to CSU Monterey Bay in 2 years to major in TMAC (Telecommunications, Multimedia and Applied Computing).

As for the security issues, a strong cable is the best way to prevent your iBook growing legs. If you're worried it might get stolen and not recovered, you can back your data up to a DAT drive or an external hard drive on a regular basis. The most secure way to network the two computers is to simply run a CAT5 cable between the two, but this excludes you from accessing the outside world, as well as vice versa. A router is best to connect to the LAN (or WAN).

Also, always lock your doors and make sure your roommates are trustworthy.
 
I'm going to Ferris State University in lovely Michigan to become a pharmacist....I picked this college because it has one of the best pharmacy programs in this country. For picking colleges, I would say to first hammer down what you want to be, then look for colleges that satisfy that career. If you cannot decide what you want to be, then go to a local community college to get the "fluff" courses out of the way. It's much cheaper and if you take credit-transferable classes, they can follow you to the next college you go to for the degree-related courses.

One fun part I enjoyed with college was having to fill out the stupid FAFSA (government financial aid form). It was long and really quite stupid. It is required to fill out and then if you qualify for any loans you have to do even more stuff to be able to get them. The loans are nice, but the government seems to enjoy waisting your time with filling out miles of stuff just to get 500 dollars or so.

But I'll have to get a security lock for my computer sometime soon. I also think I'm gonna get a Linksys wireless access point so I can go wireless with my laptop.
 
Well college for me is gonna be great -- As a high school senior next year I will be able to take three or four classes a tri for free at the university of minnesota, depending mostly on how hard I wanna work (ugh...) and right now I'm really thinkin about going to a medium sized urban college either in chicago or a real big city on the east coast. I don't really have any names or anything, but this year I'm gonna really get started.
And FAFSA is gonna rock for me, niether of my parents earn salaries right now ( our income comes from odd places that FAFSA doesn't take into account) so I shoud be able to get a substantial amout of aid from them. And hopefully taking free classes as a h.s. senior, getting a substantial amount of financial aid (from both the gomment and other types of scholarships) will help me afford a real upscale college with a good rep.
And I have already narrowed my intended major to something in the industrial design field, architecture probably.
Im already excited!
 
Originally posted by jeepster485
In the next couple weeks I will be heading off to college, taking my laptop and desktop with me. Because of this, the security of my computers is a bit of a concern. What kind of steps can I take to ensure that I can easily network between the two computers and not have any unwanted guests gain access to them?
Click to expand...
Get an ethernet crossover cable (or a hub) and connect the machines together directly... Simply don't connect them to a public network.

If you do connect to a network, turn off file sharing and turn on the firewall before doing so.
 
Mr. K: I thought you meant you were going to be a junior in college next year! In any case, look for colleges that have a good architectural program in the kind of environment you'd like to live in for 2 or 4 years. I want a small school in a cool environment, so I'm going to Monterey Bay in 2 years (I'm doing my GE at JC first). And you can't beat a school 5 minutes from the coast!
 
I bet somewhere theres a school right on the coast... That would be awesome if my campus had shoreline.
 
Which coast? Cal State U. Monterey Bay is on the Pacific Ocean, and it's a wonderful school. Check them out and see if they offer something you want; if they do, we may attend at the same time!
 
You can also set your computer to lock on startup so no one can access it w/o the correct password, to do so you require BootROM version 4.1.7 or higher. To check the version you have installed, go to Apple System Profiler and look in the system Overview section. If you have a compatible version you hold down apple + option + O + F on startup to boot into Open Firmware, type "password" and enter a password with the password command. then set the security with the command "setenv security-mode X" Replace X with "none" for no password protection, "command" which blocks open firmware commands, or "full" for a password before startup. When finished, type "reset-all" to restart. But remember your password! if you forget it you can download a OS9 program called FW Sucker to find it out but only if you are still logged in. To remove/change settings, repeat and change security to none.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

See Also: kbase.info.apple.com, Search for 106482
 
And you can't get around this by booting off the OS X install CD, right? Because that's one of the features/problems with the OS X login system: you can clear the admin password if you forget it, but if someone else does it...
 
If you set security to full, the computer will not startup without the password, not even off a separate disk.
 
I got a suggestion from some friends of hours this evening for all those entering their next year of college (which may or may not be the first...): Look for a book called College.edu because it contains a lot of good websites for college students. Also try websites like www.half.com for student discounts on lots of stuff, including textbooks (for those of you who haven't bought all of them yet).
 
Suggestions, eh?

I might have a few....

computers first:
The first line of defence is Social Engineering. Put the passwords on your computer (open firmware, login, screensaver), and explain to the people you live around (actually, /brag/ about this) that your computer is locked down harder than any other computer on the campus, and that if you wanted to break into it, you wouldn't be able to.

Understand, the coke heads who steal stuff so they can sell it for half of what its worth don't want to be pestered by a computer they won't be able to turn on. Its not worth their time. I would even tell people that if you get the password wrong more than 3 times, it encrypts the entire file system so that it can only be used if someone removes the hard drive and sends it off to the FBI.

I once saw someone loose a 17" tiBook, and lemme tell ya, it wasn't a pretty site. But then again, he was allways flaunting that he was a moron, didn't know anything about it, and that his parents purchased it for him. Pitty.

Moving right along...

do yourself a favor - don't smoke weed all day. And certainly not the day before the exams......
 
Originally posted by kilowatt
...if you get the password wrong more than 3 times, it encrypts the entire file system so that it can only be used if someone removes the hard drive and sends it off to the FBI.
Click to expand...
Does it really? :eek: That would suck...
 
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