UD prepares to scale up efforts to educate campus community about cyber threats

2:58 p.m., Oct. 1, 2014--In just the last year, the media have reported a surge in major consumer information breaches, such as those at Target, Home Depot and eBay. 

"These breaches remind us that we should always be aware of the security of both our personal and University of Delaware information," said Karl Hassler, associate director, IT Systems Security.

FYI Stories

June 6: UDid It! Picnic

All UD faculty and staff members are invited to attend the annual UDid It! employee appreciation picnic, set from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Monday, June 6, on The Green.

2FA protects you

If you are using two-factor authentication (2FA), even if a hacker has your password, your information is probably safe.

• 2FA protects you
• Police training
• Traffic alert
• Library photo ID

"As part of UD’s commitment to promoting information security best practices within the University community, we will be increasing our involvement in cyber security education this October," Hassler said.

October 2014 is the 11th time that EDUCAUSE, the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and other national organizations have declared October to be National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), and both the state of Delaware and UD are joining in this annual effort to promote good computer and information management.

The state’s Department of Technology and Information (DTI) and UD Information Technologies (IT) are using NCSAM to remind everyone in Delaware and in the UD community that “Cyber Security depends on you,” Elayne Starkey, chief security officer with DTI, said in an email sent to computer security staff around the state.

This year, UD IT will be hitting the ground running. In an effort to remind the University community about the responsibilities for safe computing and information management that are every employee's responsibility, IT will send a number of security-oriented articles to UDaily and publish others on Secure UD News, IT's new computer and information security blog.

In the coming month, IT will be providing information about how UD employees and students can protect themselves as consumers and social networkers.

William Pelgrin, chair of the Center for Internet Security, warns of the growing dangers using social media websites and tools: “Criminals are taking advantage of the increasing number of users and the enormous amount of information exchanged.” 

Both Pelgrin and UD stress the importance of caution in navigating the web, and especially when personal information is at stake.

In addition, University Provost Domenico Grasso, Executive Vice President Scott Douglass, and UD IT are partnering to remind University employees about Secure UD training, an information security awareness initiative introduced in June of this year to educate University information workers about the threats they face and the duties they have while handling sensitive University — and personal — data. Watch for email and a UDaily article next week with more information.

On Oct. 28, UD IT will host the IT Tech Fair. There will be a booth dedicated to information security. Employees are invited to stop by and discuss the information UD IT has shared with the campus during NCSAM. 

"You are a target. Information security is everyone’s responsibility," Hassler concluded.

Additional resources

• More information about phishing attacks
• The UD Threat Alerts blog
• More information about Computer Security at UD
• Reporting a computer security incident at UD
• Questions or concern about any technology issue, including computer security? Contact the IT Support Center.

Article by Alex Lindstrom