While national cybersecurity news focuses on huge data breaches and cybercriminals, cyber attacks on personal devices are daily occurrences happening with greater savvy and frequency. Cybersecurity Awareness Month during October reminds us of many ways for keeping your data secure. Just starting with the fundamentals of cybersecurity can have a significant impact.
Cybersecurity seems like a very complicated subject, but there are simple things we can do to be safe in the cyber world, especially within the campus.
In the years that I have been involved around the campus, I have seen phishing emails and text messages, fellow students’ data and assignments being hacked and eServices accounts compromised. Kudos to the IT Security team who do their part to keep the students safe from these attacks, but sometimes, the attacks do become successful.
As a student of cybersecurity, I believe that the weakest link, even in the best of security systems, are human beings unaware of potential cyberattacks. So, here are a few “tips and tricks” to assist you to stay safe on campus from these possible attacks:
Think before you click links:
Sometimes, students get an email asking them to review their Star ID and update their password. The first things to check in these emails are the senders and receivers of the email. Even after clicking the links, students need to make sure that they are on the right website for updating their passwords. Sometimes hackers create a fake webpage that looks exactly like the genuine one to hack the passwords. This kind of Social Engineering attack happens with growing regularity.
Turn on multi-factor authentication
Multi-factor Authentication or MFA is a security feature that demands any logins into an account to go through a two-step process to verify their identity. It makes it twice as difficult for cybercriminals to get access to the account. The Minnesota State-Mankato student or staff accounts are capable of enabling multi-factor authentication. The university uses PIN Code sent to the phone or an Authenticator App for the second factor for logging in to the account. IT Solutions can help with enabling this feature.
Using Strong Passwords
Do you lock your doors to keep your possessions safe? Passwords are like house keys. Passwords keep our digital identity safe. They are a Big Deal in today’s world. While passwords might be difficult to create, store, and remember for all of us online, they are the first line of security against hackers and data breaches. So, we can stay secure online for years to come if you take a few extra minutes to think of a strong password.
Report Spam to the University
Students get a lot of spam emails and sometimes they are targeted by scammers. Occasionally, students receive emails asking them to work for the attacker for a generous salary. If something is too good to be true, it probably is. But the students can report these emails to the University IT Security Department to make them aware of these scams. Just forward those emails to spam@mnsu.edu.
Caught in a phishy situation?
The IT solutions are there to help if you get in a position to be a victim of a cybercrime. Here are important links that help:
Find more tips at mnsu.edu/cyberaware
Stay Safe Online!! #BeCyberAware