How-to guides

Automatically patch operating systems and applications

How to enable automatic updates for MS Word

Enabling automatic updates for MS Word

The steps to enable automatic updates depend on the operating system that you're using. This document outlines the general steps for both Windows and Mac OS. Note that the steps and screenshots may vary slightly depending on which version of the operating system is being used.

Windows

  1. Open MS Word and select the File tab.
  2. Select Account at the bottom of the left-hand pane.
  3. Check the yellow update options section that displays on in the middle of the screen – if automatic updates are turned off, it will read 'This product will not be updated'.
  4. Click the Update Options drop-down menu, and select Enable updates.

MS Word will now automatically update with each new release.

MAC

  1. Open MS Word and select Help from the system menu bar (Note: the system menu bar is directly above the Word Menu bar).
  2. Select Check for updates from the drop-down menu that appeared
  3. Check that "Automatically keep Microsoft Apps up to date" is enabled.
  4. If it isn't enabled, check the box for "Automatically keep Microsoft Apps up to date".

MS Word will now automatically update with each new release.

How to manually patch MS Word

Manual Patching for MS Word

If you don't want MS Word to automatically update, you will need to manually check for and install any updates.

The steps to disable automatic updates depend on the operating system that you're using. This document outlines the general steps for both Windows and Mac OS. Note that the steps and screenshots may vary slightly depending on which version of the operating system is being used.

Windows

  1. Open MS Word and select the File tab.
  2. Select Account at the bottom of the left-hand pane.
  3. Check the yellow update options section that displays on in the middle of the screen. If it reads 'This product will not be updated', Enable updates. Otherwise, skip this step.
  4. Click the Update Options drop-down menu, and select Update now

MS Office will now check for updates and install them. You'll receive a message notifying you once updates are complete.

MAC

  1. Open MS Word and select HELP from the system menu bar (Note: the system menu bar is directly above the Word Menu bar).
  2. Select Check for updates from the drop-down menu that appeared
  3. The Microsoft AutoUpdate window will appear along with a blue 'Check for Updates' button, click this button to manually check for updates.

MS Office will check for the latest version and prompt you to update. You'll receive a message notifying you once updates are complete.

Enable security software

How to configure windows defender antivirus

How-To Configure Windows Defender anti-virus

  1. To start the Windows Defender Security Center, click on the Start button and then type "Windows Security"
  2. From the resulting dialog box, select the 'Windows Security' app
  3. In the main 'Windows Security' window, select the option for 'Virus and threat protection'
  4. You can have Windows Defender run a manual scan by clicking the "Quick Scan" button. This is generally not required since Windows Defender offers both real-time protection and also performs regular automatic scans.
  5. You can also click the "Scan options" link on that screen to run three different types of scans, in addition to the Quick Scan:
How to enable or disable Windows Defender real-time protection

How to enable or disable Windows Defender real-time protection

  1. In the main 'Windows Security' window, select the option for 'Virus and threat protection'
  2. Under the 'Virus and threat protection settings' section, select the 'Manage settings' link to open the 'Virus & threat protection settings' page.
  3. Use the 'On/Off' slider button to either enable or disable real-time protection.
  4. At the bottom of this page, you can also configure exclusions – files, folders, file types, or processes to be excluded from a Windows Defender scan. If anti-virus is dramatically slowing down a certain app you know is safe by scanning it, creating an exclusion can improve performance.
  5. Click the 'Add or remove exclusions link.
  6. Select the type of exclusion to add from the dropdown menu, and then configure Windows Defender for the specific content to exclude.

Windows Defender scan history can also be viewed at any time. To check the scan history:

  1. Open Windows Defender Security Center.
  2. Click Virus & threat protection.
  3. Select the 'Threat history' link.

The 'Threat history' screen shows all current threats, plus information about the last scan. To see the full history of quarantined threats, click the 'See full history' link in that section.

To see more information about a threat, click the arrow to the right of its name. To view additional information about a particular threat, click the 'See details' link that shows up when a particular threat is expanded.

How to configure the Windows Firewall

How to configure the Windows Firewall

  1. Go to the Start menu and type 'Control Panel'
    1. Open Control Panel and select the 'System and Security' category
    2. From the 'System and Security' window, select 'Windows Defender Firewall'
  2. Open the Start menu and click the Settings icon (the gear icon to the left of the start menu)
    1. The 'Windows Settings' home page will open. Select the 'Update & Security' category
    2. Using the navigation menu on the left side of the 'Windows Update' home page, select the 'Windows Security' option
    3. On the 'Windows Security' page, select 'Firewall & network protection' from the list under 'Protection areas'.
    4. The 'Firewall and network protection' home page will open.

To configure the Windows Firewall settings using the Control Panel method:

  1. The Windows Firewall home page will provide a high-level overview of how the firewall is configured for each network location profile.
  2. Click on the specific network location to configure to open the detailed configuration options.
  3. For the network type that you are connected to, you will see additional information like:
    • The state of the Windows Firewall (On/Off)
    • How the Windows Firewall will handle incoming connections
    • Whether the network is active
    • When the Windows Firewall will notify you
  4. The other network profiles can also be expanded to view the default settings that apply when connecting to networks of that type.

Note: If there is a third-party security application installed on the system that includes a firewall module, it is highly likely that the Windows Firewall will have been disabled to avoid performance issues and conflicts between the two security products. If that is the case, no information will be viewable in the Windows Firewall window and no configurations of the Windows Firewall will be supported.

Instead, a warning will be displayed that says: "These settings are being managed by vendor application – Application Name."

To configure the Windows Firewall settings using the Windows Settings method:

  1. Select the Start button > Settings Gear > Update & Security > Windows Security > Firewall & network protection
  2. Select a network profile
  3. Under Windows Defender Firewall, switch the setting to either 'On' or switch the setting to 'Off'.

Note: Turning off the Windows Defender Firewall could make your device more vulnerable to unauthorized access. Allowing an application/program to communicate through the firewall is preferred over turning the firewall off.

How to allow desktop applications through the Windows Firewall

How to allow desktop applications through the Windows Firewall

Windows Firewall has a very comprehensive set of rules that are available out-of-the-box. In addition, most installed Windows programs automatically add their own exceptions to the Windows Firewall so that they receive network and/or Internet access. Due to this behavior, Windows Firewall will normally only prompt the user to configure exceptions when programs are installed that do not by default add their own exceptions to the Windows Firewall's list.

When the Windows Firewall does generate a prompt, the Administrator is asked to select the network location that the program is trying to gain access to: public, private, or domain networks. By default, Windows Firewall automatically selects the checkbox for the network location profile it currently detects is being used, but other profiles can also be selected.

To apply the required access setting, select the 'Allow access' option. To block network access for that program, select the 'Cancel' option and the program will be set as blocked for all network locations.

Note: Only administrators can set exceptions in the Windows Firewall. If you are using a standard account without administrator permissions, the programs that do not comply with the Windows Firewall rules and exceptions are automatically blocked, without any prompts being shown.

How to Customize the Rules for Allowed Applications

To customize the configured rules for allowed applications, first start the Windows Firewall. Then select the 'Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall' from the list of options on the left side of the Windows Firewall home page.

The list of applications and programs that are allowed to communicate through the Windows Firewall are displayed. The settings at this point are grayed out so that you can only view which applications, features, and programs have rules that are currently enabled in the Windows Firewall.

Entries that have a check mark to the left of their name are currently enabled and are used by the Windows Firewall to allow or block access.

There are two columns on the right side of the window: Private and Public. If a check mark appears in either column it means that network access is granted for that application, program, or feature when the system is connected to that network profile. To change any settings in this list, an Administrator will need to press the "Change settings" button.

To block access to the network for any application, program, or feature, select it and then uncheck the box to the left of its name (to block access to any network) or uncheck one of the check boxes on the right (Domain, Private, or Public), depending on the types of networks you want to block access to.

Alternatively, to assign network access to an application, program, or feature that doesn't currently have access, enable the checkbox near its name and then select the type of networks to grant it access to. Once the configurations changes have been completed click the 'OK' button.

If an application or program does not appear in the list of viewable applications, use the 'Allow another app' button.

In the 'Add an app' window either add the application from the generated list or if it is still not listed, press 'Browse', navigate to its installed location and select its executable, then click or tap the 'Add' button.

The network location profile for the newly added app can also be configured by clicking the 'Network types' button in the 'Add an app' window.

How to configure the MRST

How to configure the MRST

  1. When the MSRT utility is run manually, it will present a graphical interface.
  2. The tool performs a Quick scan when run in the background, but it can also be configured to run either a Full scan or a customized scan to scan either the entire system or specific folders if run manually.
  3. When a custom scan is selected, the location of the data the scan will be run against can also be configured by clicking the 'Choose Folder' button.
  4. The 'Select Folder' window allows the user to browse to the specific location where the scan will be run.
    1. Once the scan has completed, the graphical interface will provide an option to review the scan results.
    2. By clicking the 'View detailed results of the scan' link, the utility will display a list of the different malware detected by the utility and whether that specific virus was detected on the system during the scan.
How to configure XProtect

How to configure XProtect

There is virtually no configuration for XProtect, as the process is designed to happen automatically. Starting in 2009, Apple configured File Quarantine to also check downloaded application files against a list of known malwares.

When a user opens a file received through a quarantine-aware application, MacOS generates a warning about where the file came from. The user receives an alert asking, "Are you sure you want to open it?" The 'Cancel' option should be selected if there any doubts about the safety of opening the file.

When a quarantined file is opened, MacOS checks to see if it includes known malware. If so, an alert message similar to the following appears:

If the file is a disk image, the option to 'Eject Disk Image' is available and once the image is ejected the source file should then be deleted.

To toggle the ability of File Quarantine to receive updates from Apple about malware and web plug-ins, use the following procedure:

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences
  2. Click the Software Update icon in the System Preferences window
  3. In the 'Software Update' pane, select or deselect the option to 'Automatically keep my Mac up to date' radio button

    Note: Clicking the Help icon (question mark) in the lower left corner of the alert message will supply more information about malware.

    Important: Deselecting this option disables the ability to identify new malware, and leaves the Mac operating system vulnerable to new malware without notification.

  4. Click the 'Advanced' button to display additional configurable options, including:
    • Check for Updates
    • Download new updates when available
    • Install macOS updates
    • Install app updates from the App Store
    • Install system data files and security updates
How to configure the Mac Firewall

How to configure the Mac Firewall

To enable and configure the Mac's firewall:

  1. Click the Apple menu
  2. Select System Preferences
  3. Click the Security & Privacy icon
  4. Click the Firewall tab
  5. Click the lock icon, and enter your password
  6. Click 'Turn On Firewall' to turn the firewall on
  7. Click 'Firewall Options' to configure the firewall options
  8. From here, there are various options that can be configured, including:
    • Block all incoming connections – This will block almost every connection request. However, it doesn't block outgoing requests or requests required for 'basic Internet services'
    • Automatically allow built-in software to receive incoming connections – This sets all of the Mac's built-in apps (example: Mail, Calendar, Messages) to allow all incoming connections
    • Automatically allow downloaded signed software to receive incoming connections – This permits all incoming connections for applications downloaded from the Internet
    • Enable stealth mode – When enabled, the Mac computer won't respond when another computer on the network tries to find it
  9. An application can be added to the list of allowed applications by clicking on the + (plus) sign or can be removed by clicking the – (minus) sign. Green dots next to the application name mean all incoming connections are permitted. Red dots mean all incoming connections are denied. To change an application's firewall settings, click on the arrows next to the connection type and choose the opposite setting.
How to configure Gatekeeper

How to configure Gatekeeper

  1. Go to the Apple menu and choose System Preferences
  2. Click on the Security & Privacy pane
  3. Choose the General tab
  4. Click on the padlock and type in the administrator username and password
  5. Select one of the two options available under 'Allow apps downloaded from:'
    • App Store
    • App Store and identified developers
  6. There is a third option 'Allow apps downloaded from: Anywhere' but this option is turned off and hidden by default. Only macOS administrators or Advanced Users should consider enabling this option as it reduces the overall security of the system.

Implement access control and authorization

How to set up users, guests, and groups on Mac

Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac

If your Mac has multiple users, you should set up an account for each person so each can personalize settings and options without affecting the others. You can let occasional users log in as guests without access to other users' files or settings. You can also create groups. You must be an administrator of your Mac to perform these tasks.

Add a user

  1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Users & Groups.

    If the lock at the bottom left is locked , click it to unlock the preference pane.

  2. Click the Add button  below the list of users.
  3. Click the New Account pop-up menu, then choose a type of user.
    • Administrator: An administrator can add and manage other users, install apps, and change settings. The new user you create when you first set up your Mac is an administrator. Your Mac can have multiple administrators. You can create new ones, and convert standard users to administrators. Don't set up automatic login for an administrator. If you do, someone could simply restart your Mac and gain access with administrator privileges. To keep your Mac secure, don't share administrator names and passwords.
    • Standard: Standard users are set up by an administrator. Standard users can install apps and change their own settings, but can't add other users or change other users' settings.
    • Sharing Only: Sharing-only users can access shared files remotely, but can't log in to or change settings on the computer. To give the user permission to access your shared files or screen, you may need to change settings in the File Sharing, Screen Sharing, or Remote Management pane of Sharing preferences. See Set up file sharing and Share the screen of another Mac.

    For more information about the options for each type of user, click the Help button in the lower-left corner of the dialog.

  4. Enter a full name for the new user. An account name is generated automatically. To use a different account name, enter it now—you can't change it later.
  5. Enter a password for the user, then enter it again to verify. Enter a password hint to help the user remember their password.
  6. Click Create User.
  7. Depending on the type of user you create, you can also do any of the following:
    • For an administrator, select "Allow user to administer this computer."
    • For an administrator, select "Allow user to reset a password using Apple ID."
    • Use Sharing preferences to specify whether the user can share your files and share your screen.

For information about Apple's privacy policy, see the Apple Privacy Policy website.

If your Mac has Touch ID, a new user can add a fingerprint after logging in to the Mac. The user can then use Touch ID to unlock the Mac and password-protected items, and purchase items from the iTunes Store, App Store, and Apple Books using their Apple ID. See Use Touch ID.

Create a group

A group allows multiple users to have the same access privileges. For example, you can grant a group specific access privileges for a folder or a file, and all members of the group have access. You can also assign a group specific access privileges for each of your shared folders.

  1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Users & Groups.

    If the lock at the bottom left is locked , click it to unlock the preference pane.

  2. Click the Add button  below the list of users.
  3. Click the New Account pop-up menu, then choose Group.
  4. Give the group a name, then click Create Group.
  5. Select each user and group you want to add to the new group.

Use Sharing preferences to specify whether the group members can share your files and share your screen.

Convert a standard user to an administrator

  1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Users & Groups.

    If the lock at the bottom left is locked , click it to unlock the preference pane.

  2. Select a standard user or managed user in the list of users, then select "Allow user to administer this computer."

Let occasional users log in as guests

You can let other people use your Mac temporarily as guest users without adding them as individual users.

  • Guests don't need a password to log in.
  • Guests can't change user or computer settings.
  • Guests can't log in remotely when remote login is turned on in Sharing preferences.

Files created by a guest are stored in a temporary folder, but that folder and its contents are deleted when the guest logs out.

Guest access works with the Find My app to help you find your Mac if you lose it. You can locate your Mac if someone finds it, logs in as a guest, and then uses Safari to access the internet. See Set up the Find My app to locate a missing Mac.

Note: If FileVault is turned on, guests can access Safari, but can't access your encrypted disk or create files.

  1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Users & Groups.

    If the lock at the bottom left is locked , click it to unlock the preference pane.

  2. Select Guest User in the list of users.
  3. Select "Allow guests to log in to this computer."
  4. If you like, select "Limit Adult Websites" to prevent the guest from accessing adult websites.
  5. To let guests use your shared folders from another computer on the network, select "Allow guest users to connect to shared folders."

Customize the login experience

If you are an administrator, you can specify how the login window looks to all the other users.

  1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, click Users & Groups, then click Login Options.

    If the lock at the bottom left is locked , click it to unlock the preference pane.

  2. Click the "Automatic login" pop-up menu, then choose a user, or choose Off.

    If you choose a user, then whenever the Mac starts up, that user is automatically logged in. If you choose Off, then at startup the Mac opens a login window showing all the users. Automatic login takes effect the next time you restart the Mac.

    Note: Automatic login allows anyone to access your Mac simply by restarting it. If automatic login is enabled, make sure your Mac doesn't automatically log in an administrator. When FileVault is turned on, automatic login is disabled.

  3. Select the options you want. If you have any questions, click the Help button  for detailed information.

To permit new users to access your shared files or screen, you may need to change settings in the File Sharing, Screen Sharing, or Remote Management pane of Sharing preferences. See Set up file sharing and Share the screen of another Mac.

To open Sharing preferences, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Sharing.

How to create a local user or administrator account in Windows 10

Create a local user or administrator account in Windows 10

Windows 10

Create a local user account for a child or someone else who doesn't have a Microsoft account. If needed, you can give that account administrator permissions. An offline account is just another term for a local account.

As you create an account, remember that choosing a password and keeping it safe are essential steps. Because we don't know your password, if you forget it or lose it, we cannot recover it for you.

If you're using Windows 10, version 1803 and later, you can add security questions, as you'll see in step 4 under Create a local user account. With answers to your security questions, you can reset your Windows 10 local account password.

Create a local user account

  1. Select Start  > Settings  > Accounts  and then select Family & other users. (In some editions of Windows you'll see Other users.)
  2. Select Add someone else to this PC.
  3. Select I don't have this person's sign-in information, and on the next page, select Add a user without a Microsoft account.
  4. Enter a user name, password, password hint or choose security questions, and then select Next.

Create another account

Change a local user account to an administrator account

  1. Select Start  >Settings  > Accounts , and then, under Family & other users, select the account owner name, then select Change account type.
  2. Under Account type, select Administrator,and then select OK.
  3. Sign in with the new administrator account.