Since 2004, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance have designated October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM). This collaborative effort between government and industry was created to ensure that every American has the resources they need to stay safer and more secure online. Throughout October, the Office of Information Security will share articles and resources with the campus that support each week’s theme.
Week 1: Simple steps to Online Safety
Be aware of email scams. Have you ever received an email from an unfamiliar sender that required immediate action to prevent something from happening? If yes, then you have received a “phish” or a fake email. Phishing is the use of email or malicious websites to infect your machine with malware in order to collect your personal or financial information. If you get a phishing email in your in your TU email account, forward it to phishing@towson.edu, then delete the email.
Think before you post on social media. Sensitive and financial information should not be posted on your social media accounts. Even if apps claim posts are “temporary,” once you have made a post, there is no undo or delete on the internet.
Create strong passwords. Simple or easy to guess passwords are easy to crack. Use a combination of special characters, upper-case and numbers when creating a password.
Connect to networks you know and trust. It is not safe to conduct personal banking or accessing sensitive information on public Wi-Fi. Although they sometimes require some sort of user authorization, you are sharing access to the network with everyone else. Making sure your firewall is on, turning off file sharing, and accessing secure websites (https) can help protect your computer and information while on a public network. While on campus, faculty, staff and students should use tu-secure, and only campus visitors should use tu-openaccess. Visit www.towson.edu/wireless for more info.
For more tips for staying safe online:
- Follow the Office of Information Security @TowsonInfoSec
- Visit TU’s Security Awareness webpage
- See the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s STOP.THINK.CONNECT. website
- Attend TU’s Cybersecurity event on October 11, 10 a.m. – noon in the Union’s Potomac Lounge
