Watch for tax fraud during extended tax season With tax filing deadlines extended from April 15 to July 15, the risk of tax fraud is extended as well. Be alert for fraudulent phone calls and emails from scammers pretending to represent the IRS. See Safe Computing: Beware of Tax Fraud for examples and more information. Watch for scams… Read More »
It is vital that you report actual or suspected IT security incidents as soon as possible so that work can begin to investigate and resolve them. This applies even when you are working from home. A new ITS Information Assurance (IA) video tells you where to report them (security@umich.edu), and describes how IA responds. For more detail about… Read More »
Across the world, working from home has become a necessity. When you are working from home, follow IT security best practices to protect yourself and U-M: Secure your computer, smartphone, and other devices. Secure your connections to protect data you send and receive. Beware of phishing, scams, fraud, and other tricks and traps. Protect sensitive U-M data by… Read More »
A newly announced Google Faculty Research award will fund a research project on developing better phishing warnings co-led by School of Information assistant professor Florian Schaub. Phishing attacks trick victims into clicking malicious email links to get them to disclose sensitive information such as personal data and passwords, or install malware. Building on prior work, Schaub says this project… Read More »
How can you help people in your unit become aware of their basic data protection responsibilities? Encourage them to take this new, university-focused online course from ITS Information Assurance: DCE101 U-M Data Protection and Responsible Use (in My LINC). The completely new course provides practical guidance and best practices. It replaces what used to be called “DCE101: Access… Read More »
J. Alex Halderman, director of the Center for Computer Security and Society in the College of Engineering, will receive the President’s Award for National and State Leadership, which honors individuals who provide sustained, dedicated, and influential leadership and service in major national or state capacities. Halderman, professor of computer science and engineering, focuses his research on computer security… Read More »
Several University of Michigan units have received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure for a project that will enhance the university’s network security and assist the needs of its research community. NetBASILISK — short for Network Border At Scale Integrating and Leveraging Individual Security Components — is a collaborative effort that… Read More »
Turn off Bluetooth and other connections when you aren’t using them, and limit access to your devices via Mac/iOS AirDrop. This helps you save your battery charge and protects you from unwanted material. Subway riders in New York City, for example, have reported receiving unsolicited nude images over open AirDrop connections. Members of the U-M community have reported… Read More »
Many voters across the country will cast ballots this year on machines called ballot-marking devices (BMDs), which combine the convenience of touchscreen technology with an auditable paper trail. However, the system relies on voters to identify errors. That could be a problem according to a U-M report published in early January. According to the study, only 6.6% of… Read More »
Are you getting or giving new Internet of Things (IoT) devices—things like smart home assistants, smart appliances, gaming systems, and wearable watches and trackers—this holiday season? If so, follow and share these basic privacy and security precautions: Change the default password for the device. Set a unique password for each device. Disable features you don’t use. Change default… Read More »
The percentage of websites protected with HTTPS secure encryption—indicated by the lock icon in the address bar of most browsers—has jumped from just over 40% in 2016 to 80% today. That’s largely due to the efforts of Let’s Encrypt, a nonprofit certificate authority co-founded in 2013 by J. Alex Halderman, a U-M professor of computer science and engineering.… Read More »
UM-Dearborn’s professor Birhanu Eshete, computer science, is developing new technology to keep up with malicious parties on the dark web. Eshete is in a continuous race against cyberattackers who wield weapons that are ever-evolving.
SUMIT_2019 brought together more than 430 people from the university and across southeast Michigan on October 29 to explore diverse topics in privacy and IT security. The presenters shared their work and insights on the socio-technical aspects of AI and cameras, art that explores privacy and security challenged as a result of living in our modern networked world,… Read More »
U-M faculty, instructors, and academic administrators received an ITS Information Assurance email on October 31 informing them the first wave of emails had begun to students who were not using Duo and encouraging those students to turn it on early. Faculty and instructors were asked for their patience and understanding as students became familiar with the tool and… Read More »
The holiday season is almost upon us, and you probably are already doing some online shopping. ITS Information Assurance offers the following tips to help you protect your personal information and devices when you shop online. Know who you are dealing with Limit your online shopping to merchants you know and trust. Beware rock-bottom prices. If a website… Read More »
The public release of credentials (email addresses and associated passwords) related to the 2018 Chegg breach unfortunately affected the U-M community. Thank you to those of you who assisted students and others whose UMICH passwords were reset in late September as a result of reuse at U-M of passwords exposed in a data breach at Chegg, a commercial… Read More »
Every October, ITS Information Assurance (IA) leads a U-M 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.… Read More »
IA has primary responsibility for coordinating the response to serious IT security incidents. Report all serious or potentially serious IT security incidents to security@umich.edu. Once you’ve reported an incident, you can expect IA to keep you involved while coordinating.
J. Alex Halderman, U-M computer science and engineering, says action must be taken at the state level to secure the 2020 presidential election and quell fears regarding the legitimacy of the results.
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? Press the link and hold down till a dialog box appears.