Author Archives: Janet Eaton, ITS Information Assurance
ITS began implementing components of a greatly enhanced network security threat detection and mitigation system in late June. This approach combines cutting edge technologies, open source tools, and U-M’s MITN threat intelligence framework to provide a security solution that scales across U-M networks. It will allow ITS to: Detect and mitigate network threats across more U-M networks. Extend… Read More »
Have external collaborators, granting agencies, or vendor partners ever asked you for information about the university’s IT security posture? ITS Information Assurance has pulled together an overview of how we secure U-M into one document to help you answer those questions: U-M IT Security Posture (U-M login required)Note: IT security and compliance is a shared responsibility. This document… Read More »
Shortened URLs, such as those from bit.ly and goo.gl, make it easy to type in a web address quickly but hard to tell where your web browser will actually take you. Before clicking a shortened URL, check for the full URL. Most URL shorteners—including those used at U-M—include a preview feature. In addition, there are several URL checkers… Read More »
No matter what your job at U-M, you have a role to play in implementing the new information security standards and the revised Information Security (SPG 601.27) policy. Your responsibilities could include: Participating in data protection training Reporting suspected or actual IT security incidents Learning and using secure coding best practices Configuring systems to meet minimum security requirements… Read More »
You have an important university email to send, but how do you craft it so it looks like the official, trustworthy, communication it is? In other words, how do you keep people from thinking it is a phish? Email users are rightfully suspicious of unsolicited email, but that can sometimes cause them to ignore or delete your important,… Read More »
May 15, 2019 update: You can once again use the Call Me option to receive Duo phone calls to Chinese (+86) numbers for two-factor authentication. Automated phone calls for Duo two-factor authentication are no longer being blocked to Chinese (+86) numbers. Duo worked with one of its telephony providers and the Chinese government to resolve the issue. China… Read More »
U-M staff members, and a number of other IT security pros from Domino’s, and Washtenaw Community College, honed their IT security investigation skills at a March 27 Boss of the SOC (Security Operations Center) event held at U-M and sponsored by the U-M Information Assurance office and Splunk. Working in teams of four to five, participants assumed the… Read More »
Imagine not being able to log in to your U-M GMail and Calendar—or Box at U-M, Canvas, and more. That might have been a risk if an attacker had exploited a previously unknown Shibboleth vulnerability. Within minutes, the attacker could have broadly disrupted logins at U-M and across higher education. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. While doing a routine… Read More »
How do the new information security standards and the revised Information Security (SPG 601.27) policy affect your work? Information Assurance (IA) is hosting working sessions for members of the U-M community interested in learning about implementing the policy and standards. Upcoming sessions: Thursday, April 4 (1:30-3:30 p.m.). This session will cover Security Log Collection, Analysis, and Retention (DS-19)… Read More »
In preparation for upgrading the Active Directory (UMROOT) domain controllers from Windows Server 2012 to Windows Server 2016, the Active Directory test forest has been upgraded to Windows Server 2016. It is ready for you to use to test your systems and applications. If you are responsible for services that use Active Directory (UMROOT), please do the following… Read More »
The annual event, hosted by the UMSI and U-M Information Assurance, brings together faculty, researchers, students, and staff for multidisciplinary conversations about privacy’s role in society.
A toolkit is now available to help your unit comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which went into effect in May.
The Active Directory (UMROOT) domain controllers will be upgraded from Windows Server 2012 to Windows Server 2016 in May. This will allow the university to continue to benefit from mainstream support from Microsoft.
About 2,100 managed systems in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) now have extra protection from malicious websites thanks to the Safe Computing Website Checker developed by Information Assurance (IA). The extension protects people from some types of malicious websites when browsing the web with Chrome. “Utilizing Group Policy Management (GPO) we have deployed this… Read More »
Do you work with sensitive data? Any time you are thinking about using a storage or collaboration service for sensitive university data—whether in the cloud or at U-M: Check the Sensitive Data Guide first to see which services are approved for your data type. If the service you want to use is not listed in the guide, ask… Read More »
You know about hovering over links in email with your mouse to see the destination URL before clicking. But what do you do on your smartphone or tablet where you don’t have a mouse or trackpad? How do you tell where the link will take you? Press the link and hold down till a dialog box appears. The… Read More »
Make plans to join us on Tuesday, November 27, at 6:15 p.m., in the Rackham Assembly Hall on the UM-Ann Arbor campus (915 E. Washington St.) for an exciting Dissonance event: Catching Fake News. There is no charge for this event and no need to register. A panel of experts will explore, two years after the 2016 election,… Read More »
If you’re worried about the impact of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in your unit, take a deep breath and relax. The university has got your back. Sol Bermann, university privacy officer and interim chief information security officer, and David Grimm, associate general counsel, reassured attendees at a July 26 GDPR open forum that—with the help of… Read More »
Now you can get the security benefits of two-factor for Weblogin with fewer login prompts. The Duo Remember Me time was extended from 12 hours to seven days on August 25. Remember to select the checkbox if you want Duo to remember you. You’ll see the Remember Me checkbox when you log in to a U-M site or… Read More »
You know you need to check the URL before logging in, but wouldn’t it be great if your web browser did some of that checking for you? If you use Chrome and an extension from Information Assurance (IA), it can. The U-M Safe Computing Website Checker extension for Chrome warns you while you are using Chrome: When you… Read More »