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Click on (but Safely)!

Cybersecurity

LIS offers tips on How to stay safe online during National Cyber Security Awareness Month

by Tony Moore

It’s that time of year again, when Halloween decorations start filling stores, the weather cools off and National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) kicks off. So take a moment to review this updated article from last year’s NCSAM series, detailing ways to keep yourself safe online. And make sure you look for subsequent articles on other cyber safety tips, as they’ll be published each week in October.

Updated from Oct. 1, 2015:

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. October has been designated 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 Division of Library & Information Services (LIS). So over the course of October, LIS, with the help of its cyber-security webpage, will keep you up to speed on how best to protect your information from nefarious online forces. To get rolling, check out these general tips to living a safer online life:

  • Set strong passwords, and don’t share them with anyone.
  • When banking and shopping, be sure sites you visit are security enabled. Look for web addresses with that extra “s”: https:// or shttp://. That means the sites take extra measures to help secure your information. Regular old http:// is not secure.
  • Keep your operating system, browser and other critical software optimized by installing updates.
  • 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 a free film screening (and popcorn!):

  • Citizenfour, October 7, 8 p.m., Tome 115: Come for a screening of the documentary Citizenfour, which profiles whistleblower Edward Snowden and the NSA spying scandal that rocked the U.S. intelligence community. Named one of Time’s top 10 films of 2014, the controversial film is more relevant today than ever before. (Sponsored by MOB.)

Week 2 features a cybersecurity presentation (and free pizza!):

  • “Cyber Security Best Practices,” Oct. 18, 12-1 p.m., Stern Great Room: Matia Marks, client executive at RCM&D, and Ben Zook, senior underwriter, Chubb Insurance Company, will give a talk on how both institutions and individuals can protects themselves from cyber threats. Please register in Cliq.

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Published October 1, 2016

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