Cyber security – Staying vigilant
Colleagues may be aware that the University of Manchester was the subject of a cyber incident last week.
We are constantly reviewing and updating our approach to cyber security in the wake of ever-increasing and sophisticated attacks. Instances like this, however, are a reminder that our digital security is something all of us need to take responsibility for and we should remain vigilant at all times.
What can you do to keep your and the University’s data safe?
There are a few simple actions you can take daily to make sure you’re remaining vigilant:
- Be cautious of any email that directs you to a page asking for your username and password – This could be a phishing site
- Run anti-malware – University owned machines must run Cisco Secure Endpoint and Sophos is provided for free for your personal devices
- Apply operating system and application updates as quickly as possible to close any security gaps
- Use an intricate, strong and unique password for your MWS account
- Be mindful of any Duo two-factor authentication requests that you didn’t initiate. If in doubt, deny access and report it to the IT Service Desk
Additionally, make sure that you are using University-provided laptops and mobiles when working from home, installing the latest security updates when prompted and ensuring that documents and passwords are stored securely.
All colleagues should have completed the GDPR and Information Security Essentials module on Canvas as part of their obligatory training and you may want to use this as an opportunity to refresh your knowledge of that content.
Lastly, please remember to follow all guidance issued by IT Services which is updated regularly and available on the intranet.