The following IT policy documents have been updated. Please familiarize yourself with these documents when you have the opportunity and reach out to us by emailing rt@highlands.edu if you have any questions or concerns. IT BYOD Policy Georgia Highlands College (GHC) permits authorized employees to use personally owned computing devices for work. All GHC employees utilizing personally owned devices connected to a […]

The Division of Information Technology is preparing to discontinue the use of employee “H-Drive” accounts. These legacy file shares were provisioned prior to 2018 and provided those individuals with a network location to back up important documents from their GHC-issued devices. Due to the availability of Microsoft OneDrive for Business and the low usage of […]

Phishing is a scam where an attacker attempts to get sensitive information from you by pretending to be a trustworthy entity using electronic communication such as email. Phishing attacks typically try to gather your username and password by directing you to a fraudulent logon website, but they may also try to gain information such as […]

Mobile security at one time meant using a laptop lock and keeping tabs on your phone. However, the growing capabilities and use of mobile devices — coupled with the ubiquity of smart devices stitched into the very fabric of our daily lives (figuratively and literally) — now require a more sophisticated defense-in-depth approach to match […]

Did you know? According to a 2016 Raytheon survey, 86 percent of young adults think that keeping the Internet safe and secure is a responsibility we all share — up 4 points from 82 percent in 2015. As digital citizens, we are getting better about consistently protecting ourselves, our devices, and our family and friends. […]

Ransomware is a type of malware designed to encrypt users’ files or lock their operating systems so attackers can demand a ransom payment. According to a 2016 Symantec report, the average ransom demand is almost $700 and “consumers are the most likely victims of ransomware, accounting for 57 percent of all infections between January 2015 […]

Who Else Is Online? Social media sites are not well-monitored playgrounds with protectors watching over you to ensure your safety. When you use social media, do you think about who might be using it besides your friends and connections? Following are some of the other users you may encounter. Identity thieves. Cybercriminals need only a […]

Face it: Hackers Gonna Hack. How to know if you’ve been hacked? Your friends tell you. They’ve received a spammy or phishy e-mail from your account. Your phone tells you. Collection companies are calling about nonpayment. Battery and data usage are higher than normal. Charges for premium SMS numbers show up on your bill. Your […]

Microsoft and Adobe both released a large number of critical security updates for a variety of products yesterday. These updates are believed to address vulnerabilities related to exploits developed (and later stolen from) the National Security Agency. Security researchers believe that that these exploits are already being used by hackers to attempt to compromise systems. […]