Click Carefully
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and Dickinson has the information you need to stay safe online
by Tony Moore
You know enough not to send $500 to that dethroned Nigerian prince so he sends you a million dollars when he retakes the throne (right?). But there’s a lot more to being safe on the Internet than avoiding ham-handed schemes like that one.
Every corner of the world is connected, and often it’s a case of for better or worse—with the Internet linking your life to those of friends, family and, unfortunately, a wide variety of cyber criminals. President Obama has designated October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), a time when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance band together with organizations across the country to educate the nation on the importance of Internet security.
It’s a cause embraced by industry voices and the higher-education information security community, including Dickinson’s Department of Library & Information Services (LIS). So throughout October, LIS has planned a lineup of chats and info-sessions (see below) and a new cyber-security Web page to keep you up to speed on how best to protect your information from nefarious online forces.
LIS is also rolling out weekly tips on specific online threats and best practices, so keep an eye on Dickinson Today for a weekly cyber security story during October. To hold you over until next week’s installment, check out these general tips to get you started on living a safer online life:
- Set strong passwords, and don’t share them with anyone.
- Keep your operating system, browser and other critical software optimized by installing updates.
- Maintain an open dialogue with your family, friends and community about Internet safety.
- Limit the amount of personal information you post online, and use privacy settings to avoid sharing information widely.
- Be cautious about what you receive or read online—if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Week 1 features two public events:
- A member of LIS hosted a cyber security information table during Pizza on the Plaza, Oct. 2, from 4 to 7 p.m. on Britton Plaza.
- The week 1 chat session will be held Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015, from noon to 1 p.m. in Althouse 106. It will feature Chip McBreen, associate vice president of loss prevention and security services at Members 1st Credit Union, and his talk on preventing identity theft. The event is open to the public, and Dickinson faculty and staff will earn financial wellness points for attending.
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Published October 2, 2015