Category Archives: Safe Computing

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SUMIT 2017 focused on surveillance, censorship, and internet freedom

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 »

Shop online safely with these tips

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 »

UM-Flint completes successful phishing awareness campaign

By | November 21, 2017

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 »

Computer Security 101: Students show what they know

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 »

How to create better privacy policies

By | October 13, 2017

A 2008 study estimated that it would take 244 hours a year for the typical American internet user to read the privacy policies of all websites he or she visits—and that was before smartphones with dozens of apps, cloud services, and smart home technologies. If you’re like most people, you don’t read them. Florian Schaub, assistant professor of information at… Read More »

Michigan Medicine IT security projects

IT security is an ongoing priority for Michigan Medicine. Currently, several projects are focused on enhancements and upgrades to ensure the security of patient and personal data and services. Find out more about the following: Enterprise Identity and Access Management (EIAM) Program Network Admission Control (NAC) for the Wireless and Wired Networks Skype for Business mobile – Secure… Read More »

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month

With massive data breaches like the one at Equifax (what to do if you are affected) constantly in the news, it sometimes feels as if we are under siege and helpless to defend ourselves. Yet we now have more power than ever before to control digital identity and important financial and other sensitive accounts. Take some time this… Read More »

Protection from malicious websites on UM-Ann Arbor networks

Beginning October 17, safeguards will be put in place that help protect the U-M community from websites known to be malicious—those that attempt to steal your personal information or infect your device with malware—on most UM-Ann Arbor wired networks. This protection is already included on MWireless and MGuest. Domain Name Service (DNS) filtering checks websites against a list… Read More »

Remember Duo Remember Me?

When students, staff, and faculty come to you with concerns about the latest virus, hack, or phishing attempt, pass on the good news that turning on two-factor to protect their U-M Weblogin and personal data is even easier. In April, the university added the Remember Me option to two-factor for services accessed via the Weblogin page. It allows you… Read More »

Look before you log in

By | August 14, 2017

Many people at U-M receive phishing emails with links to fake Weblogin pages that look exactly like the real one. When people log in to the fake page, their password is stolen, and their U-M account is compromised. The only clue it’s a fraudulent login page is the URL. Before entering your UMICH (Level 1) password, check that… Read More »

MiWorkspace partners with HITS to meet increased network security standards

The MiWorkspace team at Information and Technology Services (ITS) worked with Health Information Technology & Services (HITS) to configure MiWorkspace computers to connect to the Michigan Medicine wired network. Michigan Medicine is increasing security for their wired networks by requiring trusted university devices contain a specific security protocol. MiWorkspace computers in the following units are now configured to… Read More »

Teams respond swiftly to malware attack on vendor

By | July 31, 2017

When Michigan Medicine’s telephone dictation and transcription service provider was impacted by a global malware cyberattack, teams from Health Information Technology & Services (HITS) and Health Information Management (HIM) acted swiftly to ensure the service was disabled, no patient information was compromised, and alternative solutions were provided. “Many staff played a role in the response to the dictation… Read More »

New U-M policy makes software purchases easier

By | July 7, 2017

If you purchase software for university use, please be aware of Software Procurement and Licensing Compliance (SPG 601.03-03). This new policy, which took effect April 10, 2017, was developed by Procurement Services with input from Information Assurance, Office of the General Counsel, and others. Under the new policy, university PCards or purchase orders can be used to purchase… Read More »

Wireless network update a success – what’s next?

In April, the Michigan Medicine community came together to achieve a significant goal – namely to ensure that enhanced security protocols were in place on all wireless devices connecting to the mission critical network. WiFi security for more than 20,000 devices joining the network daily was the first step in a 19-month initiative to make the IT environment… Read More »