Did you know? In 2017 the education industry (which includes K–12 and higher education institutions) had 7,837,781 records breached in 35 events. To put that into perspective, the healthcare industry had 6,058,989 records breached in 428 events, and the retail industry had 123,652,526 records beached across 33 events. (See Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Chronology of Data Breaches, 2017 […]

“In a statement, Zynga provided little detail on what data had been stolen but said that no financial information was compromised. The gaming giant says that it has taken steps to protect accounts, and that many users will be prompted by email notification to reset their passwords. You should change your password even if it’s […]

“This time, the crooks are tapping into a concern that many of us have – falling foul of copyright law. Lots of us innocently post and repost photos, GIFs, video clips and screenshots that we find amusing, informative, scary, and so forth… …but even if we’re only ever posting photos that we took ourselves, we […]

Dependent verification documents and forms that contain personal information such as Social Security numbers, credit card or bank account numbers, medical information, or any other form of PII should not be handled in email. This is covered in the following IT policies: IT Acceptable Use Standard IT Email Policy Remember, PII is any information about […]

Many people love the adventure that traveling provides: meeting new people, seeing new places, and having new experiences are part of the allure. Technology makes it easier than ever to satisfy our wanderlust. We can use our connected devices to discover the exotic locales we wish to visit, book tickets on planes and trains, practice […]

Have you received an email from a purported hacker who wants Bitcoins or some other form of cryptocurrency payment because they’ve somehow captured compromising information about you? Maybe they claim to have accessed your device’s camera or files and have your password as proof? Don’t panic. This is just an online scam commonly referred to […]

Shopping, surfing, banking, gaming, and connecting ‘smart’ appliances such as toasters and refrigerators are some of the many actions performed each minute in cyberspace. These common everyday activities carry the cyber threats of social engineering to gain unauthorized access to data, identity theft, bullying, location tracking, and phishing, to name just a few. How can […]

The following IT policies have been updated: IT Wireless Network (Wi-Fi) Security Policy (IT.PO.380) – Important changes to this policy include restrictions on the use of unapproved wireless infrastructure devices such as access points and routers and the explicit requirement for employees to use the secure GHC-Employee wireless network, were available, while performing work-related activities […]

A ransomware attack crippled Monroe’s College’s email, website, and learning management system last week, with the attackers demanding $2,000,000 in Bitcoin to restore the affected systems. Other higher education institutions, such as Grinnell, Oberlin, and Hamilton College, were also subject to serious ransomware attacks on their systems this year. “Typically these attacks start with a […]

With an increasing amount of sensitive data being stored on personal devices, the value and mobility of smartphones, tablets, and laptops make them appealing and easy targets. These simple tips will help you be prepared in case your mobile device is stolen or misplaced. Encrypt sensitive information. Add a layer of protection to your files by […]