Each October, ITS Information Assurance (IA) celebrates Cybersecurity Awareness Month by reminding members of the university community about their shared responsibility to protect themselves and the U and by sharing IT security and privacy tips.
Self-erasing chips developed at U-M could help stop counterfeit electronics or provide alerts if sensitive shipments are tampered with. They rely on a new material that temporarily stores energy, changing the color of the light it emits. It self-erases in a matter of days, or it can be erased on demand with a flash of blue light. With… Read More »
As summer wound down, campus got ready for the fall semester at UM-Dearborn. An Emergency Operations Center directive necessitated restricting campus access to only those students with an on campus class—around 15% of our schedule. To do this efficiently and minimize health risks by reducing time standing in line, we turned to technology. Our reporting tool, WebFocus, produces… Read More »
Make your U-M Gmail even more secure Information and Technology Services (ITS) is happy to announce that effective immediately, students, staff, and faculty have access to a new email security tool — Virtru. (Note: Michigan Medicine provides a similar capability for their email service). With Virtru, you can send end-to-end encrypted email to any address, prevent a forwarded email… Read More »
If you are working from home, you may be using some of your personal devices to take care of U-M business. Make sure they are appropriately secured to protect yourself and U-M. If you access or maintain sensitive university data with your devices, you are responsible for securing them. See: Security of Personally Owned Devices That Access or… Read More »
Are you creating new MCommunity groups to help you collaborate and stay in touch with people while working or learning remotely? Group owners are responsible for ensuring that members of their group have a good experience. The MCommunity Directory includes options to help you do that. If you own a group, your responsibilities include: Having a clear purpose… Read More »
To better help you secure your unit networks, ITS Information Assurance (IA) is increasing the frequency of its universitywide scans and adding internal network scanning. As of May, universitywide vulnerability scans are now performed monthly instead of quarterly. The monthly scans will be similar to previous quarterly scans. The software begins by performing a TCP and UDP probe… Read More »
ITS Information Assurance has rapidly developed a number of new Safe Computing resources to help you practice and promote good IT security and privacy practices in this new normal: New on Safe Computing and in IT Security at U-M. New resources covering videoconferencing security and privacy, coronavirus scams, how to prevent Zoombombing, new videos, new entries in the… Read More »
Check out this new IT Security Tips for When You Work from Home video from ITS Information Assurance. It covers securing your devices and connections, protecting your privacy, and watching out for phishing, scams, and fraud. Please share it with others who may find it helpful. For more details and links to resources for working securely from home,… Read More »
When you share files or folders from Google Drive or Box, you can control the level of permissions granted to others. The U-M Collaboration Services team recommends using caution when you choose permissions for your files and folders to ensure the privacy and security of university data. This is especially true when collaborating with people outside of U-M.… Read More »
You have probably had a crash course on the basics of videoconferencing over the past few weeks. Follow the IT security and privacy best practices in this new Tips for Safe Videoconferencing video from ITS Information Assurance to make security and privacy part of your videoconferencing routine. And please share it with others who might find it helpful.… Read More »
Scammers are taking advantage of the fear and uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 coronavirus. Some of the most common scams include: Fraudulent cure and treatment offers Fake charities Misinformation from scammers posing as experts Phishing Tracking maps that trick you into downloading malware See Coronavirus Scams on Safe Computing for more details. ITS Information Assurance is keeping the page… Read More »
9/11 changed everything for U-M computer engineering alum Kurt Rohloff. Having grown up in the metro New York City, 9/11 felt especially close to home. It set him on a path to a career in security and U.S. defense. “I got really interested in the areas of data science, analytics, privacy and how one could use privacy technology… Read More »
U-M faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to use computers and devices that are managed by a central U-M IT service provider, but in some circumstances, faculty and staff may need to self-manage a UM-owned device: Computers and other devices purchased with research grant funds to meet very specific research needs. Developers needing specific operating systems or software… Read More »
When you get a new smartphone, you need to reactivate the Duo Mobile app before you can get push notifications or generate passcodes. To do that, you’ll need a computer. Follow these steps to reactivate the Duo app: From your computer: Log in to a U-M service on the web through U-M Weblogin. When you get to the… 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 »
Beware! It’s that time of the year again! As you read this, criminals, fraudsters, and identity thieves are working to file fraudulent tax returns in your name and steal your tax refund. Information Assurance (IA) offers the following tips to help you protect yourself from identity theft and tax fraud: File your taxes as soon as possible to… Read More »
As Winter Break approaches, many of us are busy with holiday plans and are eager to finish up our work so we can relax with family and friends. But before you set up your away message and head out the door: Help U-M conserve energy and money over the break: Close and lock all windows to save energy and prevent… Read More »
Due to an increased threat of phishing attacks targeted at Michigan Medicine, remote access to Outlook email will change on November 21. Michigan Medicine email users will need to connect to the VPN or use Outlook on the Web anytime they are off the Michigan Medicine network. This change only impacts laptop or desktop computers — accessing email on… Read More »
Michigan Medicine employees and students are required to use passwords to access various applications and business systems in their daily work. Because it can be difficult to keep track of multiple passwords, some people choose a simple password they can remember (e.g., their date of birth, a pet’s name, or another easily discovered piece of personal information), keep… Read More »