Category Archives: Safe Computing

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Michigan Medicine announces launch of Michigan Healthcare Security Operations Center

By | October 4, 2018
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Seven people stand in front of a glass building. They standing close together and smiling while holding a giant pair of scissors moments before cutting a blue ribbon.

With the launch of the Michigan Healthcare Security Operations Center, Michigan Medicine is among the first in the nation working with four other healthcare organizations to continuously monitor and improve cybersecurity. The MI-HSOC is a group of highly-skilled teams that leverage shared technologies, process, and skills to prevent, detect, analyze, and respond to cybersecurity events. The new shared environment,… Read More »

Participate in National Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October!

By | September 27, 2018
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October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Photo of hand holding cell phone.

Every October, Information Assurance (IA) leads a celebration of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) by hosting events, sharing tips, and reminding everyone of our shared responsibility to protect and secure university and personal systems and the sensitive information they contain. NCSAM is spearheaded by the National Cyber Security Alliance and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This year,… Read More »

Use antivirus software to protect U-M and personal computers

By | September 26, 2018
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Don't let your software get rusty! image of rusty lock and chain

Antivirus software should be installed and kept up-to-date on all of your computers—both your own and those owned by the university. MiWorkspace computers already have antivirus software installed, and it is updated automatically. For U-M computers Information Assurance (IA) recommends these antivirus products that are licensed for use on UM-owned computers: Windows 8 and 10. Use Windows Defender,… Read More »

New prompt starting to collect UMICH account recovery info

By | September 26, 2018
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screenshot of account recovery page

If you ever forget your UMICH (Level-1) password, you can efficiently recover your account access as long as you have already completed some simple, advance setup. ITS has long offered a self-service account recovery option, but many users were unaware of the advance setup requirement until it was too late. To address this gap, ITS is adding a… Read More »

Use Duo when traveling

By | September 19, 2018
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Duo logo

Don’t let travel plans interrupt the protections provided by Duo. Duo offers multiple options to help you complete two-factor authentication when traveling. You may be able to use your regular Duo two-factor option, or you may need to use an alternative, depending on your travel plans. The recommended travel option is the Duo Mobile app on a smartphone… Read More »

Register today to attend SUMIT October 25

By | September 17, 2018
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Mark your calendars for SUMIT_2018, U-M’s 14th annual cyber security conference on Thursday, October 25. Learn more and register today! Security at University of Michigan IT (SUMIT) is the university’s flagship event for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Held at Rackham Auditorium, SUMIT is an exciting opportunity to hear recognized experts discuss the latest issues, trends, and threats in… Read More »

Spying on remote screens—through the webcam mic

By | September 4, 2018
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Ever wonder what the people on the other end of a Hangouts session are really looking at on their screens? With a little help from machine learning, you might be able to take a peek over their shoulders. Based on research published by Daniel Genkin, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the College of Engineering,… Read More »

U-M GDPR journey discussed at forum

By | August 30, 2018
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Block M & EU logo. location, location, location. A person's location matters when collecting data about them.

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 »

Duo can remember you for seven days

By | August 28, 2018
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Duo UI with red circle around 7-day remember me selection.

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 »

Intel processor vulnerability could put millions of PCs at risk

By | August 17, 2018
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 Researchers at U-M were part of a group that discovered a new processor vulnerability that could potentially put secure information at risk in any Intel-based PC manufactured since 2008. It could affect users who rely on a digital lockbox feature known as Intel Software Guard Extensions, or SGX, as well as those who utilize common cloud-based services,… Read More »

Beware of ransomware. And don’t pay the ransom!

By | August 16, 2018
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Ransomware is malicious software that can infect and encrypt files on your computers and other devices, preventing you from accessing them. Criminals use it to threaten victims with loss of their data unless they pay ransom in return for a “key” to unlock their folders, files, and devices. Ransomware typically gets on devices when people open infected email… Read More »

Equifax data breach: Consumers knew but took little action

By | August 15, 2018
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Lock sitting on credit cards resting on a computer

When the Equifax data breach impacting nearly 147 million people occurred just over a year ago most consumers took little to no action to protect themselves despite the risk of identity theft, U-M researchers found. In comprehensive interviews with 24 consumers, a team of researchers at the School of Information led by Yixin Zou and Florian Schaub found… Read More »

Chrome extension warns you of malicious websites

By | August 8, 2018
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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 »

Duo mandatory at Michigan Medicine beginning October 10

By | August 7, 2018
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Duo logo

Phishing attacks, data breaches, and identity theft have become common issues plaguing organizations the world over, including health systems and universities. The most significant step the Michigan Medicine community can take to protect their data, as well as that of our patients and research participants, is to use Duo with all web-based services that require U-M login. While 26,000… Read More »

HITS implements 30-day network policy

By | August 1, 2018
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Michigan Medicine 30-day network information assurance policy

The institutionally owned devices we use to do our work are kept secure by connecting regularly to the internal U-M network. Connecting ensures that our devices receive the patches and anti-virus protection that are typically installed automatically and daily whenever we are logged in. Effective August 16, 2018, Health Information Technology & Services (HITS) will implement a policy… Read More »

Protect your UMICH account with two-factor

By | July 12, 2018
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screenshot of Account Management interface to turn on two-factor

You can add protection for additional U-M systems, and for your personal information in Wolverine Access Employee Self-Service, by turning on two-factor for Weblogin. Two-factor provides additional security in case your UMICH (Level-1) password is stolen. The U-M Information Assurance team strongly recommends that you turn on two-factor to better protect your UMICH account and U-M systems and… Read More »

Users to be prompted for UMICH account recovery info

By | July 11, 2018
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account recovery interface

Resetting a forgotten UMICH (Level-1) password can be easy—but only if you’ve set up account recovery information ahead of time. When you save your account recovery information—a non-university email account and/or your mobile phone—we then know where to send your password-reset code in case you ever forget your password. To make this process easier, ITS will begin gradually… Read More »

Shared threat intelligence saves the day

By | July 10, 2018
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A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack took down a residence hall network switch at the University of Maryland (UMD) over spring break 2018, but it could have been a lot worse without the collaborative threat information sharing partnership of U-M and other universities. 90% of attack traffic blocked “If we hadn’t been using our shared threat intelligence,… Read More »