Due to federal concerns related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Information Technology Services is asking that all students, faculty and staff take a few simple steps to shield themselves and university systems from potential cyberattacks.
“The chance for cyberattacks is very real as the United States and other nations respond and institute sanctions against Russia,” said Heath Tuttle, chief information officer. “But, our community has the power to reduce the success of any attacks and, ultimately, protect ourselves.”
Steps to protect accounts, devices and data, which were outlined in a Feb. 25 message from Tuttle, include:
Be aware of phishing attempts — Students, faculty and staff who encounter suspicious messages or attachments, please use the “Report Phish” button in the Outlook client or in your Outlook Web Access.
Use free anti-virus protection from Cortex XDR — All university-owned computers should have Cortex in place. More information is available through local IT support teams. The university also offers a version of Cortex for free to use on personal devices. Learn more about Cortex.
Vigilance of two-factor authentication — Two-factor adds an extra level of account protection. University accounts use Duo to verify identity. Other email systems and social media platforms often offer two-factor as well. Huskers who receive unexpected Duo authentication attempts via Push, voice or SMS, may have a compromised password. If that happens, change the password immediately using TrueYou self service. Learn more about Duo.
Guard those passwords — Individuals who have not changed their True You password recently should do so here. It’s a good policy to update all of passwords — and that doesn’t mean using the same one for all accounts — every three months. And, when updating passwords, be certain to follow guidelines for creating codes that are difficult to break. Learn more about creating strong passwords.
For more information about guarding against cyberattacks, click here.
“Our ITS Security Team continues to monitor and guard our systems from cyberattacks. But you play a key role in that process simply by being aware, using the protections we have in place, and setting strong passwords,” Tuttle said. “Together we can reduce the threat and help our university continue on its teaching, research and service missions.”
