Cyber Security Awareness Month

The internet is a global marketplace where people conduct myriad forms of business, both commercial and private. It’s also a digital space where people around the world research thousands of questions and share information, from the trivial to the imperative.

Not surprisingly, the university’s networks house an enormous amount of sensitive information, including student data, employee files and proprietary research.

And criminals are intent on finding new ways to steal that information.

As part of a systemwide initiative recognizing National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), UCSB is offering a variety of resources during the month of October to help faculty, staff and students better understand cyber risk and stay safer and more secure online.

The goal of NCSAM is to increase awareness about cyber security while educating the campus community on ways to better protect their mobile devices, computers, networks and private information from unauthorized intrusions or cyber attacks. The first two weeks of the month will focus on topics related to phishing (the attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details) and to protecting portable devices. The following two weeks will address passwords, privacy and ransomware (a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid).

“No single person, university, or business can secure the Internet,” said Matt Hall, chief information officer at UCSB. “Each of us plays a part in this monumental task. Securing our mobile devices, computers, networks, and private information requires a collective effort. National Cyber Security Awareness Month emphasizes proper cyber security practices through webinars, posters, YouTube videos, social media outreach, and on-campus presentations. I encourage every member of the UCSB community to take note of these messages for their own benefit and to become a better cyber citizen.”

In addition to a series of YouTube videos, cyber security webinars and talks, cyber security tips and fact sheets and blog articles, the university is offering a series of free webinars covering a range of topics, including the techniques hackers use to break into networks, what to consider when storing information in the cloud, and cyber security for medical devices. An information technology forum for IT professionals will take place at 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, in the Loma Pelona Center

More information about NCSAM events, including a complete schedule, can be found at https://security.ucop.edu/resources/cyber-security-month/webinars.html.