The flight is booked, the reservations made. You’re about to embark on your research trip to another country, time zone, continent…maybe all of the above. Understandably, you’ve focused on the logistics, and now you’re focused on the research fun. But, if you want to ensure a crisis-free experience, there’s another travel plan you need to make: the IT… Read More »
On January 30, the university held its first Privacy@Michigan symposium. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of International Data Privacy Day, the event featured an interdisciplinary group of U-M faculty and researchers who addressed top privacy-related—and threatening—issues in an era when the very notion has gotten complicated. The event was sponsored jointly by the U-M School of Information (UMSI), and… Read More »
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which takes effect May 25, 2018, will affect organizations worldwide, including universities. The regulation expands personal privacy rights for European Union residents. It will take some time for organizations around the world to sort through, understand, and determine the implications of the GDPR requirements, as well as figure out how best to… Read More »
Protect your privacy and stay secure when using social media sites and apps. Before you post, tweet, or share, pay attention to privacy by following some simple guidelines. For example, strive to “undershare” (rather than overshare), avoid sharing your location, and be aware that anonymous doesn’t mean untraceable. These tips and more are on the Social Media Privacy page… Read More »
If you use a wireless internet connection at home, secure your network so that only those you allow can access it. There are two basic steps to securing your home wireless connections: Update all your Internet-enabled devices with the latest operating systems, web browsers, and security software. This includes any mobile devices that access your wireless network, such as… Read More »
Beginning February 24, you will be able to reset your UMICH (Level-1) password yourself without having to remember answers to your security questions. Before you can reset your UMICH password online at UMICH Account Management, your identity must be verified. For several years that has been done through the use of pre-set security questions and answers along with… Read More »
Security is everyone’s responsibility. If you use your personal devices—smartphone, laptop, tablet, and so on—for work, you are responsible for appropriately securing and managing them, as well as for meeting the obligations described in Security of Personally Owned Devices that Access or Maintain Sensitive Institutional Data (SPG 601.33). Your unit may have additional restrictions beyond those found in… Read More »
You can deploy Passwordstate in your unit under a U-M license that covers use by U-M faculty, staff, and students on all U-M campuses. Passwordstate allows teams of people to access and share sensitive password resources and is typically used for managing elevated and administrative passwords, as well as passwords for smaller proprietary systems, such as research databases.… Read More »
Rolling out what it’s calling a “street view for cyberspace,” Censys—a tech startup based on technology developed at the university—has launched a commercially available version of its internet-wide scanning tool. Based on technology developed in the lab of computer science and engineering professor J. Alex Halderman, Censys continuously scans the internet, analyzing every publicly visible server and device.… Read More »
Beware: Identity thieves can file fraudulent tax returns in your name and steal your tax refund. Last year, criminals filed false returns for people across the nation, including several U-M employees. Information Assurance (IA) offers the following tips to help you protect yourself from identity theft and tax fraud: Turn on two-factor authentication for Weblogin to add extra… Read More »
Before you get rid of any device you have used to work with, store, or access sensitive university data, you must make sure it is securely erased (sanitized). This keeps university data—and your personal information—from falling into the wrong hands. University-owned devices Sanitization and disposal of MiWorkspace devices is handled by MiWorkspace staff. Others who are responsible for… 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 »
Celebrate International Data Privacy Day with a host of faculty, staff, and student experts as they present Privacy@Michigan on Tuesday, January 30, 2–6:30 p.m., in Space 2435 of North Quad. Privacy@Michigan brings together faculty, researchers, students, and staff from different colleges, schools, and units across campus and aims to spark ongoing, multidisciplinary conversations about privacy’s role in society—here… Read More »
There’s a new address for reporting phishing emails at U-M: ReportPhish@umich.edu. Previously, people were asked to report phishing to the IT User Advocate at abuse@umich.edu, Information Assurance (IA) is now asking that these reports go to ReportPhish@umich.edu instead. We’ll use the new address for the UM-Ann Arbor campus, but Michigan Medicine is going to hold off on rolling out… Read More »
It takes the entire U-M community to help protect against cyber threats. That’s the message on posters sent to Security Unit Liaisons at the end of November. The 11 by 17-inch posters stress that IT security is a shared responsibility, and we all have a part to play. In particular, they urge people to secure and protect any… Read More »
Are you interested in providing anti-phishing education through self-phishing in your unit? If so, be aware that any U-M unit considering such an effort is expected to abide by self-phishing guidelines and norms from Information Assurance (IA). The guidelines are intended to contribute to the success of your anti-phishing efforts and to share IA expertise based in part… Read More »
The 13th annual Security at University of Michigan IT (SUMIT) was held on Thursday, October 19. More than 550 people attended SUMIT 2017 either in person at Rackham Auditorium or virtually via the live stream throughout the day. This number represents more than 170 universities, corporations, small businesses, and nonprofits from around the country. This year, the university’s… Read More »
With the holiday season just around the corner, you may be getting ready to do some online shopping. See Online Shopping Tips to Protect Your Personal Information on the Safe Computing website for tips to help you protect your personal information and devices when you shop online. The tips fall into three categories: Secure your environment Know who… Read More »
From July to September of this year, University of Michigan-Flint ITS, supported by the U-M Information Assurance Office (IA), conducted an awareness campaign on campus that resulted in a significant decrease in the number of users who fell for simulated phish emails. In addition to IA support, UM-Flint ITS groups that were also instrumental in this process included… Read More »
For the past thirteen years, Information Assurance (IA) has engaged UM-Ann Arbor students, including medical students, with a basic quiz designed to raise awareness of IT security issues. This year’s quiz resulted in the highest completion rate yet! From October 30 through November 3, 2017, a total of 7,864 students participated. This is 17 percent of those who… Read More »