Since 2004, the National Cyber Security Alliance has designated the month of October to remind us: STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ ITS posts every week this month with a new theme to keep cybersecurity awareness at the top of mind.
This week’s theme is “Make Your Home a Haven for Online Safety.” We live in an age where having the internet in your home is a fact of life. Most of us have learned how to give our home router a strong password. We are routinely connecting PCs and smartphones, as well as game consoles and tablets. Many of us have more fully-connected homes with devices such as thermostats, security systems, cameras – even things like refrigerators, door locks, and light bulbs! Keeping these items secure is critical, since each is a small computer, and carries much of the same risk as your other data devices.
It’s also important to remember that, for many students, Widener is their home for most of the year. ITS maintains many security measures, but keeping out the bad guys also means having a strong password and staying alert for scams and phishing. Keep in mind that the bad guys hit us when we’re most busy, and for us that’s the start of the semester and finals.
If you ever have a question about an email, feel free to forward it to phish@widener.edu. You can also call the Helpdesk at x1047, or email at helpdesk@widener.edu. And be sure to follow us on Twitter at @WidenerISO. Happy October, and safe computing!
