October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month

For the past nine years, October has been designated as National Cyber Security Awareness (NCSA) Month. Sponsored by the National Cyber Security Division of the Department of Homeland Security, this initiative includes the University of Houston as an active participant, along with hundreds of other U.S. universities, colleges, and corporations.

There�s never been a time when we�ve faced more cyber threats. Malware, identify theft, scams, spam, cyber thieves, economic espionage, social engineering, and attacks that exploit system vulnerabilities are just some of the dangers we have to deal with on a regular basis.

Being increasingly connected to the Internet at home, school, work and play ratchets up our need for vigilance. Computers are no longer the only � or even the primary � component for web access. Mobile devices have become ubiquitous, providing alternate gateways to the Internet that allow you to take online courses, view and accept financial aid/scholarship offers and awards, register for classes, check degree progress, review grades, request transcripts and even apply to the University.

However, with all this connectivity comes responsibility. The Internet is a shared resource and we all play an important part in the defense of our computing and network resources.

The goal of NCSA is to increase awareness about cyber crimes and online threats while offering ways to minimize our risks, respond to cyber incidents, and emphasize that protecting our nation's � and university�s � infrastructure is our shared responsibility.

The month-long program emphasizes that point, according to Mary Dickerson, Interim Executive Director for UIT Security and UH�s Chief Information Security Officer. �National Cybersecurity Awareness month provides us with an excellent opportunity to remind our students, faculty and staff of ways to practice safe computing by providing relevant information. We�re telling you what you need to know, and we�re doing it in ways that line up with our security theme: Safe/Simple/Secure.�

What can you do?

Visit the UIT Security web site at uh.edu/infotech/security to read up on the latest threats, security tips and best practices, including how to quickly identify spam and phishing emails, how to protect yourself from personal identity theft, and where to download anti-virus software.

Security Presentations at the 2010 UIT Technology Conference

UIT will deliver four hours of security presentations at this year�s Tech Conference, scheduled for October 13 in the University Center Houston Room. Here are some of the topics that will be presented: �Protect your computer and devices�for free. Security offerings at UH�; �Can I �friend� you? Safety tips for Facebook and other social media sites�; and � How safe are you really? Protecting yourself against identity theft.� All of the presentations contain useful and relevant information designed for end users. For more information, go to: https://www.uh.edu/techconference.

Computer Security Awareness Training for Students (CSATS)

CSATS is a new security awareness program for all UH students, sponsored by the Administration and Finance division, University Information Technology (UIT) department, and the UH Department of Student Affairs.

CSATS will launch on October 18, 2010 during National Cybersecurity Awareness month. The training is simple and will take less than 30 minutes to complete. Part of the training will require students to take a quiz and score at least 80 percent. Students who complete the mandatory training by January 31, 2011 are eligible to win some iTunes gift cards.

For information about CSATS training, please contact Beverly Stevenson, Manager of UIT Security Compliance, at bdstevenson@uh.edu.