Published October 14, 2019
It has become second nature—connecting to a public Wi-Fi somewhere convenient and getting to work. But we don’t often think about the risks associated with doing this.
Public Wi-Fi should not be trusted. It’s surprisingly easy for someone to snoop in on what you’re sending on the network, including your passwords. Luckily, UB provides a free VPN (“virtual private network”) for staff, faculty and students to keep their university-related information safe.
The UB VPN creates a secure connection while you’re accessing UB services from off-campus locations, services like:
“We provide secure, remote access to university resources so UB community members and partners can leverage them no matter how they work, or where that work takes them,” said Mark Herron, UB Information Security Officer. “By effectively securing remote access, we add important additional protections to both devices and accounts.”
UB’s VPN can help keep your university-related personal information safe while you’re connecting off campus. But that’s just the beginning.
You should always use secure, unique passwords (or passphrases) for every account. You should also never share your password with anyone.
Also, take advantage of two-step verification for your UBITName account from Duo. You can enroll and manage your two-step devices online at buffalo.edu/ubit/duo.
Don't risk it! Download the UB VPN for your device on the UBIT website.
Follow the instructions and watch video tutorials on the UBIT Website to learn how to download and use the UB VPN.