Campus marks Cyber Security Awareness Month
In support of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the Office of Information Technologies (OIT) is sponsoring a number of activities to help the campus community stay safe online.
Activities address online security threats and are organized around four weekly themes: security basics, phishing, protecting sensitive data and password security.
“In the past year, we have seen more sophisticated phishing e-mails. These e-mails claim to come from legitimate sources and request passwords and other personal information,” said Chris Misra, information security officer at OIT. “As an IT organization, it’s our job to educate our clients about topics like phishing. By focusing our activities during the month of October, we hope to draw attention to these important issues and teach people some basic and easy security practices.”
To protect their computers and personal information, community members are encouraged to use anti-virus software, keep their computers’ operating systems updated, back up their files and change their passwords twice a year.
During October, students, faculty, and staff can stop by OIT’s information tables in the Campus Center, bring their computer in for a free security check up and take weekly online quizzes. Quiz participants are entered to win weekly prizes and a grand prize, an iPod Nano.
National Cyber Security Awareness Month is an annual campaign established in 2001 to help communities stay safe online. This year’s theme, “Our Shared Responsibility,” is a reminder that everyone needs to take action to keep personal information, and the national cyber infrastructure, safe. For more information, go to www.staysafeonline.org/ncsam
More Information
Cyber Security Awareness Month information
October 6, 2009.
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