Three ways to stay safe during Cyber Security Month

To stay safe, you should never reuse passwords, even when the two sites or services are related. If you are ever asked to create a password, you should make a new, secure password, every time.

It may be daunting to make and remember new passwords each time, but there are tricks to make hard-to-crack passwords you can remember easily.

For instance, turn your password into a passphrase, by writing an entire sentence that’s specific to you, and quirky enough to remember without too much effort. For example, consider the following sentence: “Triangles are classified according to angles and sides.”

That sentence has 57 total characters, including a capital letter and a symbol. Better yet, it contains no personal information that could lead someone to guess it.

The UBIT website has other tips for creating safe passwords. Just remember, no matter how annoying it may be to create and remember new passwords…it’s a lot better than having your identity stolen.

Email is not a secure method for sending data. You should never use it to transmit sensitive data, including:

·       Social security numbers

·       Driver’s license or state-issued ID numbers

·       Passport numbers

·       Bank/financial information

When in doubt about whether something should be sent in or attached to an email…don’t send it. One alternative is to create a secure folder for restricted data in UBbox and share files with colleagues as needed.

UB’s Information Security Office offers opportunities to update your team on the latest in cyber security awareness.

In Person  

UB students, faculty and staff are invited to attend our Cyber Security 101 trainings during October 2018 in Silverman and Abbott libraries.

Anyone who works at UB can also request a training session on cyber security awareness for their department. These sessions offer UB faculty and staff the tools needed to protect UB institutional data as well as their personal information, identities and digital devices.

After these sessions, attendees will:

• Know the most common tricks and tactics used in cyber attacks
• Understand the personal and professional consequences of data breaches
• Have best practices for securing your devices and online presence
• Be able to distinguish a phishing attempt
• Be aware of lesser known vehicles for cyber attacks (vishing, smishing etc.)
• Know what to do if you are the victim of a phishing attack

To take advantage of this free resource for UB employees, email sec-office@buffalo.edu.

Online

Online trainings are also available via UB EDGE for faculty and staff who wish to develop their awareness about keeping institutional data safe. These trainings are customized for UB, and available to anyone on request.

To request access to UB’s online cyber security awareness training, email sec-office@buffalo.edu.