Cybersecurity: Top 8 Safety Actions (PDF)

CYBERSECURITY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES  First, let’s talk about some common cyber CYBERTHREATS safety threats and the problems they can cause.  CYBERTHREATS Identity Thieves People who obtain unauth...

CYBERSECURITY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES  First, let’s talk about some common cyber CYBERTHREATS safety threats and the problems they can cause.  CYBERTHREATS Identity Thieves People who obtain unauthorized Hackers access to your personal Hackers are people who information—such as your FSUID, secretly get access to a SSN, bank accounts and computer system in order to passwords. They use this to steal information or cause commit crimes such as fraud or damage. theft. Malware Phishing Malware (short for "malicious Phishing steals personal software") is any program or information by tricking you into file that is harmful to a clicking a link or entering your computer user, including username & password. Phishing computer viruses, worms, comes in many forms: emails, Trojans and spyware. phone calls, website downloads. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES  Defense against cybersecurity threats CONSEQUENCES requires your action. If you do nothing, the results could be grave.  Follow these tips to protect yourself, others ACTIONS and the university from common cybersecurity threats. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES ACTIONS Top Eight Cybersafety Actions Protect Passwords Prevent Identity Theft Beware of Phishing Avoid Malware Run Antivirus Software Install Updates Back Up Important Files Turn On Firewalls INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES  PROTECT PASSWORDS o NEVER share your passwords with anyone! o Create strong passwords that are difficult to guess o Avoid dictionary words o Do not use common passwords, such as password1, abc123, qwerty1, letmein, yourname1 o Change your passwords periodically and when creating a password o Use at least eight characters o Mix uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols o Use mnemonics to help you remember a difficult password o Example: $e^^iNo1e = Seminole o Example: W00H!TCwontW$ = Woohoo! The Cubs won the World Series o Use different passwords for different sites o Store passwords in a safe place o Never keep passwords on a sticky note near your computer o Consider using a password vault such as LastPass or KeePass INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES  PREVENT IDENTITY THEFT o Don’t give out Social Security numbers, driver license numbers, bank account numbers or other personal information unless you know exactly who’s receiving it o Protect other people’s information as you would your own o Never send personal or confidential information via email, text message, or instant message INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES  BEWARE OF PHISHING o Phishing attacks steal personal information by tricking you into doing something, like clicking a link or entering your username and password. Phishing comes in many forms: emails, phone calls, website downloads. These phishing attempts may look like they are from Florida State University —often IT Services or the Service Desk—but don’t fall for the tricks! Follow these tips to help protect yourself from phishing attacks. o REMEMBER! FSU WILL NEVER ASK YOU FOR YOUR FSUID USERNAME AND PASSWORD IN AN EMAIL OR PHONE CALL. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES  TIPS TO AVOID PHISHING SCAMS o Be skeptical of messages that require “immediate action” or threaten that you will lose something. o Instead of clicking, type website addresses in your browser to access sites directly. o Before clicking, hover over or long tap a link to display the true URL and see if it is linking to a reputable website. o Think before clicking email and website links and never click a link that you don’t trust. o Do not open attachments you aren’t expecting—especially ZIP files—and NEVER run.exe files. o Avoid providing personal information over the phone, especially from an unsolicited call. o Never send credit card or other sensitive information via email. o Use common sense. If it looks like spam, then it probably is spam. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES  AVOID MALWARE o Be wary of invitations to download software from unknown sources; even clicking advertisements can result in malware downloads like ransomware, spyware, and adware. o Ransomware is a type of malware that prevents or limits users from accessing their system—either by locking the screen or encrypting the user’s files—unless a ransom is paid o Spyware records your actions and keystrokes to steal your passwords, credit card numbers, and other confidential information o Adware not only slows your computer, but can track the sites you visit INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES  RUN ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE o Antivirus software removes viruses and quarantines and repairs infected files and can help prevent future viruses o Viruses can be transmitted via email, email attachments or IM o To avoid computer problems caused by viruses, install and run an antivirus program like Norton, McAfee or Windows Defender o Check to see if your antivirus solution is up to date by periodically opening your antivirus program and checking the last updated date INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES  INSTALL SOFTWARE AND SECURITY UPDATES o Updates, also known as patches, fix problems with: o Operating systems (e.g., Windows 10, Mac OS X, Android and iOS) o Software (e.g., Microsoft Office, Creative Cloud) o Apps (e.g., Wells Fargo, The Weather Channel, Facebook) o Most new operating systems are set to download updates by default. o Work computers should update automatically. Check with your IT manager to make sure this is the case. Restart your computer after updates are installed so the patches can be applied immediately. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES  BACK UP IMPORTANT FILES o Create offline back-up copies of your files to reduce the risk of losing important files to ransomware, a virus, computer crash, theft or disaster o Save copies of your important documents and files to a flash drive, external hard drive or online back up service o Store your back-up files in a secure place away from your computer, in case of fire, theft or ransomware o Test your back up files periodically to make sure the files are accessible and readable INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES  TURN ON FIREWALLS o Firewalls act as protective barriers between computers and the Internet o Hackers search the Internet by sending out computer messages to random computers and waiting for responses o Firewalls prevent your computer from responding to these calls o Check your computer's security settings for a built-in personal firewall and make sure it is turned on o Mac Firewall o Microsoft Firewall INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES