STAC Summit Meeting and ITS IA Open House
Two April events brought the U-M IT security community together in a spirit of engagement, transparency and shared goals.
Tag Archives: Information Assurance
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.
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.
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 »
Visit Safe Computing
Ever wonder what makes a good password? How you can spot phishing before you’re caught by it? Or maybe you’re just curious about what’s new in the world of IT security and privacy? For all of this and much more, visit the Safe Computing website. Safe Computing is an authoritative website filled with IT security and privacy guidance… Read More »
U-M requiring password reset for all UMICH (Level-1) accounts
The University of Michigan has mandated that passwords for all UMICH (Level-1) accounts be changed by the end of Sept. 12. An email informing faculty, staff and students across the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses, as well as Michigan Medicine, was sent from Ravi Pendse, vice president for information technology, and Sol Bermann, chief information security officer.… Read More »
Cosign retirement success
Originally designed at U-M more than twenty years ago, Cosign was once widely used across higher education. The degree to which U-M had integrated Cosign into countless applications was a testament to its success. However, the user base dwindled at U-M and across higher ed as institutions transitioned to more modern authentication protocols (OIDC and SAML). At U-M… 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 »
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 »
Sponsor System upgrade
This summer, U-M’s Sponsor System will be upgraded to replace its dependency on Cosign authentication with Shibboleth. As part of the upgrade, the user interface will be updated with better accessibility and an improved Search/Match function to enhance the sponsorship process. The business functions and processes in place with the current Sponsor System will largely remain the same.… Read More »
Save the date: TikTok, Boom. Watch event and discussion
ITS Information Assurance is excited to announce the latest from the Dissonance Event Series. You are invited to a free, on-demand screening of the documentary film TikTok, Boom. and a conversation with the filmmaker Shalini Kantayya. March 6 through March 15 – Virtual screening of TikTok, Boom.Join us for a virtual screening of TikTok, Boom. The film examines… Read More »
Putting the spotlight on web privacy
At the University of Michigan, we have a commitment to respecting and protecting the privacy of our community members and guests. In the summer of 2022, the U-M Privacy Office decided to put that commitment to the test on U-M websites. ITS Information Assurance (IA) used the real-time website privacy inspection tool Blacklight to scan the top 50… 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.
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 »
Catching up on The Feeling of Being Watched
On the day the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of the first Black female justice to the United States Supreme Court, four women of color engaged in an illuminating conversation about government surveillance. The conversation was part of an event, sponsored by Dissonance, Information and Technology Services (ITS), and Wallace House, that invited the U-M community to watch… Read More »
Profiles in IT Interview: Jennifer Wilkerson—Engaging educator
Jennifer Wilkerson is a lead performance support analyst on the Information Assurance team. She promotes IT security and privacy awareness within the U-M community and her work often involves change management. She loves being outside and walking in her neighborhood as a form of self-care. She also enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family and three dogs.