Sleep Better with Safe Computing
The Safe Computing website is your reliable security and privacy guidance and information source at U-M, maintained by ITS Information Assurance.
Category Archives: Safe Computing
New CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor Status Icon for Windows
Information Assurance will deploy a new CrowdStrike Falcon feature on Windows computers: the Falcon Sensor Status icon.
Who Owns Your Face – A Conversation with NYT Kashmir Hill at Ford School
A recording of Kashmir Hill, NYT Technology Reporter, speaking on October 7 at the Ford School about privacy in the age of facial recognition is now available.
Guidelines for Managing Active Directory (UMROOT) Accounts
U-M IT professionals who manage Active Directory (AD) accounts in UMROOT have an important responsibility for the security of those accounts. This responsibility includes ensuring that they are: Those who manage AD accounts in UMROOT should review a complete list of guidelines annually. Please see Active Directory Non-uniqname Accounts (U-M Weblogin required). Thank you for diligence in managing… Read More »
Focus on Security This Fall
As the U-M community settles into study, work and life during the fall semester, news of breaches, scams, and disinformation abound.
ITS to Disable Inactive Active Directory (UMROOT) Accounts Daily
ITS will begin disabling inactive Active Directory (UMROOT) accounts on a daily basis beginning October 9, 2024, as part of an ongoing effort to protect credentials in accordance with the Access, Authorization, and Authentication Management (DS-22) standard.
Updated and Upcoming IT Policies and Standards
The ITS IT Policy group is working on revisions and updates to a number of IT policies and standards in order to ensure they remain credible, implementable, enforceable, and sustainable.
Security Tips for Using Public WiFi
Need an internet connection, but only public WiFi is available? Follow these tips to protect U-M and personal information.
Request Process for Next-of-Kin Access to U-M Accounts
ITS IA has taken steps to streamline the process for next of kin to gain access to information contained in personal email, files, or other digital resources of a deceased or incapacitated holder of a U-M account. The updated information reminds U-M community members that they are strongly encouraged to store personal files, folders, email, or other personal data in non-UM personal accounts.
New Consent & Preference Management Tool for U‑M Websites
The Office of the Vice President for Communications (OVPC), in collaboration with ITS Information Assurance (IA), has released a new consent and preference management solution for U-M websites. Integration is easy – try it today!
PlasmaPup: Hunting Down Active Directory Exposures
PlasmaPup, a Windows GUI app written at U-M, gives Active Directory admins visibility and control. It is available to download on GitHub!
Vulnerability Scanning and Blocking of Unremediated Systems
Information Assurance (IA) provides Tenable Vulnerability Scanning for units. As outlined in the Vulnerability Management standard, IA also blocks systems when serious vulnerabilities reported to a unit remain unaddressed.
History of Surveillance Timeline on Safe Computing
The ITS Information Assurance team has published the History of Surveillance Timeline, a unique resource on Safe Computing for those who like to learn from history.
Privacy@Michigan takes over Michigan Theater with 1984 screening and faculty panel
Privacy@Michigan hosted a 40th-anniversary screening of the film adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 and a U-M faculty panel discussion at the Michigan Theater on March 6, 2024.
Privacy@Michigan speakers discuss the economics of privacy
The annual celebration of Data Privacy Day at the University of Michigan kicked off with a Privacy@Michigan keynote event featuring Prof. Alessandro Acquisti, Trustees Professor of Information Technology and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, and the co-director of the CMU Center for Behavioral Decision Research (CBDR).
Black History Month 2024: An artist and writer examine surveillance
Black History Month pays “tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.” The Black History Month 2024 theme, “African Americans and the Arts,” explores the key influence African Americans have had in the fields of “visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and… Read More »
Duo releases a new look to all customers — coming to U-M Feb. 20
On Tuesday, February 20, 2024, the University of Michigan will start using an updated Duo Universal Prompt screen for two-factor authentication. All Duo customers across the world, including U-M, are required to transition to the Universal Prompt, and Duo is ending support for the traditional version.
Happy Secure Holidays from IA
The holidays are a great time for shopping and travel, but they are also prime time for cybercrime. ITS Information Assurance (IA) wants to gift you some Safe Computing tips to protect your personal data this holiday season. Secure your devices These basics will help you start out from a more secure place: Shop securely After you take… Read More »
Enhanced confidentiality of information on ITS Websites
Information and Technology Services (ITS) is reviewing more closely all technical service information published publicly. In the spirit of an open, higher-education environment, much of the documentation and content published by ITS has been accessible to the public, even when only intended for the U-M community. Going forward, the ITS approach will be to limit access to some… Read More »
A farewell to Cosign
On November 1, 2023, the ITS Identity and Access Management (IAM) team and colleagues across ITS and the university gathered to celebrate the retirement of the Cosign service at U-M. Created by members of U-M’s IT Commons group in 2001, Cosign was a web-based, single-sign-on solution that was rapidly adopted at other universities. As U-M’s Cosign reached the… Read More »