Tag: security and privacy

Cyber criminals are naturally drawn to money -- your money. Financial aid awarded to students is a frequent target. This is a challenge for the university, as we often need to contact you about financial aid for legitimate reasons. It is important to recognize the difference between a valid email from Buckeye Link, and a phony one from an attacker. The image posted is an example of what an authorized financial aid email from Ohio State looks like.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF FINANCIAL AID EMAILS sent from Ohio state: 

Tax related phishing attempts frequently occur, because criminals would love to get their hands on your W-2 so they can steal your identity and/or your tax refund.  This article (new for 2018 tax season) is posted to share with you what you should expect and what a legitimate W-2 email sent from Ohio State looks like.  

Have you ever received a “tech support” call from Microsoft that just didn’t seem on the level? Do you regularly receive emails that may as well have SCAM in the subject line?  If you are comfortable with technology and use it frequently, you probably know what to look for and how to protect against most cyber-schemes. However, you probably have friends and family that are not comfortable and who may miss tell-tale signs that seem obvious to you.

Most people know that using strong and unique passwords is the best way to protect your information, but how can you remember all of them? Password managers are the solution to remembering the strong and unique passwords you set for every account.

Wrapping up the summer with a last-call vacation? What would you do if your phone decides to make a splash when you are poolside? There’s nothing worse than losing all your data – photos, contacts and lists – because your device is hacked, lost, stolen or destroyed. Back up your assets for a faster recovery.

Whether you’re a Newb, a Wizard or even a Ninja, a cybercriminal can take all the fun out of gaming by luring you into downloading software or clicking a link that infects your computer and exposes your personal info. You can still enjoy gaming with players across the globe by following basic security practices like applying strong passwords, keeping your system current and using common sense (don’t click on weird sh*t).

Last month, the WannaCry ransomware epidemic spread globally, affecting thousands of victims worldwide by infecting their computers with ransomware. Hackers essentially took computer files hostage until victims paid to have those files unlocked. This month, SANS provides lessons learned from this massive malware attack.

People lose mobile devices. Sometimes they get stolen. They can also be hacked. So we need Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM), and Enterprise Security has reviewed solutions that can work for a widely disparate group of business units, colleges, faculty and staff.

Calling all parents, babysitters and those who watch over young children! The May edition of OUCH!, a monthly security newsletter from the cybersecurity experts at SANS Institute, is all about keeping children safe while using the internet.

When it comes to securing children online, there are both technological challenges and educational challenges:

Has the task of creating a new password every 180 days gotten challenging? Are you running out of ideas for secure passwords to protect your university identity? There is a way to create hard-to-crack passwords, and it’s easier than you might think.