NIH system engineers keep on the lookout for these types of tricks, but all users need to change their password on a regular basis to defeat this type of intrusion. All of these types of break-ins are illegal. It is against federal law to purposely alter, modify, and falsify information stored in the computer system. But legal action will not restore lost critical information, so everyone should take active steps to protect their systems, including. Guarding passwords and changing passwords regularly Never E-mailing passwords over the network unencrypted Recognizing and reporting suspicious computer operations.
Computer viruses are also a big threat.
NIH has virus attacks regularly, so everyone needs to take this threat very seriously. There are literally thousands of viruses that can get on your system. They can come from anywhere, shut down your system, and destroy your data. Corrupted or inaccessible program files, hard disks, or diskettes. Programs taking longer to start up, running more slowly than usual, or not running at all.