Most cyberattacks and data breaches occur through compromised credentials – when someone gains access to your account and pretends to be you. Although cyber-attacks can’t be seen, they happen every day. It is important to protect yourself and UWM.
With October being Cybersecurity Awareness Month, here are some tips on how to stay safe online:
• Lock your phone: Whether it’s a PIN, fingerprint, or face recognition, be sure to use the lock feature found on every phone. Mobile phones have become the central hub for all our information, so be sure to use this safety feature in case it’s lost or stolen. This also applies to tablets and other devices with locking capabilities.
• Create strong passwords: Try to use a sentence or phrase that is easy to remember. Then, try to think of ways in which some of the words can be spelled differently with symbols and numbers, such as replacing an ‘s’ with a ‘$.’ Also, try to refrain from using the same password for every platform. If the same password is used, and an account is compromised, any other account with that password could be compromised as well.
• Think before clicking: Many online threats come from phishing or online scams, urging you to click a button or follow a link and reveal sensitive information. Always double check who the request is from and look for indicators such as spelling errors and language of extreme urgency.
• Multi-Factor Authentication: MFA is one of the best defenses against cyber attacks. By using something you know (username & password) with something you have (a device) two levels of security are used to confirm your identity. MFA is now a standard security measure across the world and is most commonly associated with online banking. UWM faculty and staff already use MFA, and it has already greatly bolstered the protection of UWM’s employees and its systems. MFA will become available to students currently enrolled at UWM on October 28, 2020. To learn more about MFA please visit our webpage: uwm.edu/multifactor.
More info on cybersecurity can be found here: uwm.edu/cybersecurity
If you have any questions on this topic or think you may be dealing with a cybersecurity issue, please call the UWM Help Desk at 414-229-4040 or visit uwm.edu/helpdesk.