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National Cyber Security Awareness Month: Information Security Office to offer security resources and events in October

Campus Updates
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Today marks the first day of October, which also means the start of the 16th annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM). In observance, the University Technology ([U]Tech) Information Security Office (ISO) at Case Western Reserve University will provide security resources and events throughout the month.

This year’s NCSAM theme, provided by the SANS Institute, is “Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT.” This initiative is an effort to provide the necessary resources so that all of the university’s users can stay safe and secure online. The Information Security Office will put out weekly articles each Monday of October that will correspond with the “Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT” initiative.

The ISO team also will host in-person events on the second and fourth Fridays of October with more details to come in the following days. These events will include an opportunity to speak with members of the new Security Fusion Center (SFC) about what types of security concerns are seen on campus and how to prevent members of the community from falling victim to them.

Each week’s article will go into detail on the specific theme provided by SANS. Below is a breakdown of what you can expect to learn about during the month of October:

  • Own IT: Readers will learn how to stay secure when using social media, how to effectively update their privacy policies, and mobile device best practices.
  • Secure IT: This category will focus on password/passphrase best practices. This includes when to change passwords, how often and whether password reuse is ever ok. It also will highlight some of the tools available on campus, such as LastPass and DUO.
  • Protect IT: Data security is vital to keeping our community’s sensitive data safe. This category will provide resources that explain the benefits of updating to the latest versions of security software, web browsers, operating systems, etc. This section will also touch on how to stay secure when using public Wi-Fi networks and the use of virtual private networks.

The Information Security Office hopes that the community can benefit from these resources.

Check the ISO website for regular updates. Those with any security-related questions can email security@case.edu.