Information Security & Network Services will be manually applying critical security updates to our Windows Servers tomorrow (Friday, February 23rd) and Friday, March 2nd due to known stability and compatibility issues with the January and February monthly “rollup” updates for Windows Server 2012. Some systems and network services such as Pharos printing and Office365 sign-on […]
Category Archives: Information Security
Good Cybercitizens Make the Internet a Safer and Better Place
“The Internet is a powerful and useful tool, but in the same way that you shouldn’t drive without buckling your seat belt or ride a bike without a helmet, you shouldn’t venture online without taking some basic precautions.” This is an important reminder from the National Cyber Security Alliance that cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility as an individual […]
NEW – Automated Password Expiration Notices
Starting tomorrow, January 12th, 2018, GHC ITS will go live with automated alerts for myGHC passwords nearing expiration. These messages will come from our ticketing email address (rt@highlands.edu) and will include the subject line “Your myGHC Password Will Expire in x Days.”
Why Phishing and Data Breaches Happen – The Market for Stolen Account Credentials
Why do we receive so many phishing email messages? Why do we get notified when a website breach happens? What does it matter that someone could get your email account password? Security researcher Brian Krebs takes a look at a typical black market, “dark web” site where stolen information is big business. Criminals know that […]
Privacy Is Our Shared Responsibility
Everyone at GHC is responsible for the protection of our students’ privacy and their personal information. However, you don’t need to understand the nuances of every privacy regulation currently affecting higher education to tackle data privacy issues on campus. Always start with privacy. Include privacy in the planning phase of all new projects. If you don’t […]
Government Targeted Cybercrime
Last month the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported an increase in cybercrime attempts directed to government agencies. Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) was an one state agency that has already been targeted by an attack. To address these increases in cybercrime, additional measures to protect against attack include the following: Be wary of unsolicited phone calls, visits or […]
Phishers are Upping Their Game – Protect Yourself!
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 […]
Critical macOS High Sierra Security Flaw – Update ASAP!
Earlier this week, security researchers discovered a critical security flaw affecting Apple computers running the latest version of macOS, High Sierra. Apple has released a security fix for this flaw that is available on the App Store. To obtain it, click on ‘Updates’ in the App Store’s toolbar and download any that are available. More […]
Scam Phone Calls at GHC
GHC ITS has received reports of scam phone calls that may arrive with an ‘anonymous’ or ‘unknown’ caller ID. Please exercise extreme caution when answering requests for information by phone and always attempt to validate the identity of an individual before providing information. Remember: “Scammers sometimes pretend to be government officials to get you to […]
Your Mobile Devices Won’t Secure Themselves
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 […]