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!
Tag Archives: IA
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.
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 »
Upcoming changes to Duo two-factor authentication
Duo has released a new Universal Prompt to replace their traditional two-factor authentication prompt that U-M currently uses. ITS Identity and Access Management (IAM) is planning to switch U-M Weblogin to use the Duo Universal Prompt in early 2024. Visit the Upcoming Changes to Duo page on Safe Computing to see an example. The advantages of the Universal… Read More »
TikTok, Boom. documentarian earns Emmy nom
ITS congratulates Shalini Kantayya on her 2023 News & Documentary Emmy nomination for her documentary TikTok, Boom. This is her second Emmy nomination. Kantayya directs “fiction and nonfiction films that artfully marry the future of science with the future of story.” (shalinikantayya.net) ITS hosted a conversation with Kantayya about TikTok, Boom. for a Dissonance event earlier this year.… Read More »
Profiles in IT: Pat Steffes—Trans advocate
Pat Steffes is a senior software programmer analyst with ITS Information Assurance (IA). They are UM-Dearborn alumni and a passionate advocate for the transgender community in cybersecurity. They also enjoy supporting feminists and queer artists in the Metro Detroit area.
MCommunity enhancements require changes to links
When MCommunity was updated on July 30, 2022, the URLs of individual profile pages and MCommunity Group pages were changed. An automatic redirect function has been in place since the update, but the redirect is scheduled to end on August 8, 2023. Links will need to be updated on unit web pages, online curricula, class or department profiles,… Read More »
SUMIT Keynote: Adventures in Securing At-Risk People
The capstone of the 17th Security at University of Michigan IT (SUMIT) event series was a thought-provoking presentation and conversation on digital protection of the press and at-risk individuals. In Adventures in Securing At-Risk People, Runa Sandvik and Elodie Vialle talked about their passion for helping journalists do their work securely. Runa Sandvik, founder of Granitt, has been… Read More »
How to safely navigate the web over the holidays
Cyber Monday is a few days away, so it’s imperative that you practice safe cyber habits during the busy shopping season. Beware of deals that seem too good to be true — often they are. Information Assurance provides tips and resources to keep you and your information safe while online.
SUMIT 2022: Safe Computing for Everyone
As part of this fall’s SUMIT series of weekly events, the Education and Engagement team of ITS Information Assurance (IA) presented on how they curate knowledge, develop training, and create awareness for U-M community members to protect themselves and the U. The team of Performance Support Analysts featured “Jen and the Matts” (Jen Wilkerson, Matt Ranville, and Matt… Read More »
How to read privacy policies
Privacy policies can be perplexing! You might have come across them in the footer of websites or in pop-up messages from applications you use on your devices – privacy policies and notices are ubiquitous in the digital world. According to a 2019 Pew Research report, most Americans are asked to agree to a privacy policy at least monthly,… Read More »
Former Pres. Ilves talks cybersecurity, restarting banking system, and farming during Distinguished Lecture Series
Former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves has planted more than 19,000 trees on his family farm that dates back to the early 1700s. He’s also helped reboot the banking system after a Russian cyber attack on the country he was leading at the time. “The first thing you must understand is – this was a DDOS attack, servers… Read More »
Are you ready for Cybersecurity Awareness Month?
This fall, ITS Information Assurance (IA) continues the tradition of celebrating Cybersecurity Awareness Month with the annual SUMIT series of weekly events hosted by IA’s cybersecurity experts. SUMIT’s online sessions include: Cosign Retirement Drop-in Sessions: Unit IT who manage services that use Cosign authentication can learn how to smoothly transition from Cosign to Shibboleth (SAML or OIDC). Safe… Read More »
Fall term 2022 is here!
The fall 2022 term has begun and ITS Information Assurance (IA) wants everyone to be prepared! As students and faculty get into the excitement of being back on campus and start to settle into the semester, it’s time to remind the U-M community of their shared responsibility to take steps to protect themselves and the university. View and… Read More »
The history and future of the MCommunity Directory
Released over ten years ago, MCommunity recently went through a remarkable transformation! The MCommunity Directory replaced the legacy U-M Online Directory (UMOD) in the summer of 2011. A major driver for the replacement was that UMOD did not support authentication and managing access to U-M resources based on who is affiliated with the university and in what capacity.… Read More »
Remediation of insecure remote access protocols
Remote access protocols allow a computer to talk to remote systems. They allow system administrators to remotely configure, maintain, and manage systems, and provide individuals access to essential applications and data. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, these protocols have provided needed convenience to users and system administrators who depend on off-site connectivity to campus resources. However,… Read More »
Recording classes: (Some) rules of the road
U-M classes are overwhelming being taught remotely this semester. This means that some instructors may, for a variety of reasons, wish to record their classes. The Safe Computing website has guidelines for instructors who plan to record class activities. Recordings where students can be identified—from in-person sessions or remote instruction via Zoom, BlueJeans, or any other videoconferencing application—are:… Read More »
Increase in emails impersonating U-M deans and other employees
ITS Information Assurance is seeing an increase in fraudulent emails that appear to come from U-M deans, employees and offices. These fraudulent emails use a practice known as “spoofing.” Different versions of these emails ask the recipient to: Quickly arrange for gift cards to cover a university expense Reply if you are available Make an immediate wire transfer… Read More »
New video: How to report IT security incidents
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 »
Cybersecurity outreach shows career in IA is attainable
The Information Assurance: Michigan Medicine (IA) team was awarded a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Innovation Mini-Grant from the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion. With the goal of spreading awareness of the field of cybersecurity and available job opportunities, the IA team developed a two-hour interactive introduction to the field of information assurance. Participants learned about the role… Read More »