Trick or treat? More like click or delete: NCSAM update 2024
As you know, October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and we are all working to become more knowledgeable and – dare we say – aware of common cybersecurity practices and concepts.
Trick or treat? More like click or delete: NCSAM update 2024
Each October, the Information Security Office works hard to provide the Miami community with tips, information, details, and instructions on how to stay safe online, whether that be by creating strong, unguessable passwords; by making sure you have multi-factor authentication enabled for your important accounts (hint: that’s all of them!); and by learning how to spot a scam or social engineering attempt on sight.
It doesn’t have to be scary or eerie! We’re here to help!
CyberMania RETURNS: Can Miami do it again?
Our annual quiz competition with Ohio University is well underway, with Ohio coming out the gate swinging this y ear. They had us in the first half, leading Miami by nearly double for close to two weeks, but now that mid-month has passed, we can say that Miami is now comfortably in the lead.
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We want it to stay that way, so if you haven’t yet taken the quick, five-question quiz about cybersecurity, what are you waiting for? Head on over to MiamiOH.edu/CyberMania and help us out! (You’ll also be entered to win a gift card.)
Event recap: Fireside Cyberchat with Helen Patton
On Thursday, October 17, the ISO invited Cisco cybersecurity advisor Helen Patton to speak to a group of faculty, staff, and 黑料社区s about digital security and digital estate planning. It’s not necessarily a “fun” topic – but it’s a necessary part of our modern world, and thinking about it now will help friends and family later after you’re gone.
She stressed the importance of naming a digital executor who will be responsible for your files, personal accounts, financial statements, and business accounts – and make sure that person will have access to your passwords.
Along those same lines, Helen also walked an audience of close to 60 faculty, staff, and 黑料社区s through the benefits of using a password manager like Keepass or 1Password.
“Use a password manager,” she said. “One of the biggest issues we face is password stuffing, which means you need to have a unique password for every account. Which is hard for one brain to remember!”
Set up a plan to go through your digital assets, she said, and go through it every six months.
“It’s an elephant of a task, and you can’t eat the elephant in one bite,” she said. “My recommendation is to go through each group one at a time.” By this, she meant to tackle all social media accounts at once, or all financial accounts.
Please find the recording of the event on our YouTube channel and Information Security Office website!
Coming up: Information Security tables on campus
Throughout the rest of October, representatives from the ISO and IT Communications will be out and about on campus as we continue to spread awareness about cybersecurity topics and answer questions about Duo, among other topics. If you see us in Armstrong or on the regional campuses, stop by! We have fun prizes and quizzes for you to take to demonstrate your cyber knowledge.
Here’s the schedule for the rest of the month:
- Friday, October 18: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Armstrong Student Center atrium (near Tech Support Lounge)
- Tuesday, October 22: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- Hawk Haven cafeteria in Johnston Hall (Middletown Campus)
- Tuesday, October 29: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Armstrong Student Center atrium (near Tech Support Lounge)
- Wednesday, October 30: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- Harrier’s Nest cafeteria in Schwarm Hall (Hamilton Campus)
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It takes a village!
We have security tools (like endpoint detection and response software, disk encryption, and network firewalls) that help keep us safe, but at the end of the day, we are only as secure as the sum of our community. It’s everyone’s responsibility to educate themselves about cybersecurity topics so that we can stay safe.
Find more resources at our website: MiamiOH.edu/InfoSec.
When in doubt, just remember: STOP. VALIDATE. DELETE.