October National Cyber Security Awareness Month
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), sponsored by the United States Department of Homeland Security. Each week NCSAM will focus on a different security topic and provide tips and resources that you can use to help keep you safe online. This is the third year that APSU has participated in this nationwide initiative as an NCSAM Champion. Check back here every week through the month of October to get info about upcoming events related to cybersecurity awareness along with helpful tips, tricks, and other resources to help you stay cyber aware and secure. Information will also be provided on the Information Technology Twitter and Facebook feeds.
“Cybersecurity is Our Shared Responsibility”
Week 1: Make Your Home a Haven for Online Safety
Week 2: Millions of Rewarding Jobs: Educating for a Career in Cybersecurity
Week 3: It’s Everyone’s Job to Ensure Online Safety at Work
Week 4: Safeguarding the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure
To read more about the 2018 NCSAM Weekly Themes, go to https://staysafeonline.org/ncsam/themes/
"Don’t Let Cyber Security Frighten You!"
Powerpoint Presentation
This presentation will be given by Stephanie Taylor (Director, IT Security) and Dr. Joe Elarde () in the UC Ballroom on October 23rd from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm as part of the Visiting Lecture Series sponsored by the department of Distance Education. The presentation is open to the entire university community and will be a fun hour of practical information, and easy tips and techniques that everyone can and should do to stay safe online. We all know it’s a scary cyber world out there, but it’s not always easy to figure out what we should do to stay safe. This presentation will give you the tools you need to do that. Refreshments will also be served with an opportunity for questions and interaction from noon until 12:30! Attending this presentation will give you a point towards the Cyberween Challenge!
Cyber Security Presence in the University Center
Visit the table in front of Einsteins on Thursday, October 11th and Wednesday October 17th between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm to play a short online quiz testing your cyber security knowledge and pick up some free goodies. Visiting the table which will be staffed by folks from the APSU IT Security team will earn you a point towards the Cyberween Challenge!
Cyberween Challenge
Play this online game to qualify for a drawing at the end of October for some cool tech prizes. Come back to this site every week to find a cybersecurity awareness question. Email your answer (use your ASPU email account) to apitsecurity@apsu.edu. You will earn one point for each correct answer. Four points qualify you for one entry into the drawing. Watch for other opportunities throughout the month at this site to earn even more points.
Watch this space for more events!
Throughout the month of October, visit this space each week to see a new a cybersecurity awareness question. The Answer to this question will be found somewhere in the “Resources” area on this page. Email your answer (use your ASPU email account) to apitsecurity@apsu.edu. You will earn one point for each correct answer. Each point you earn qualifies you for one entry into the drawing for cool tech stuff at the end of the month. Watch for other opportunities throughout the month at this site to earn even more points – for every additional point you accumulate, you get one more entry into the drawing!
Week 1 Question: Using the “How Secure Is My Password” tool found in the “Resources” Area, create the shortest password you can that includes the words Cyber Aware and which will take at least a billion years to crack. Note that you can substitute other characters for some of the letters in Cyber Aware (as long as we can identify the words) as well as add characters to the password as desired. Submit your entry to apitsecurity@apsu.edu. Points will be awarded to the shortest 20% of valid entries submitted.
Week 2 Question: If a public Wi-Fi network (such as in an airport or café) requires a password to access, is it safe to trust that network and explain why or why not? Submit your answer (make sure you specify this is the answer for week 2 in your email) to apitsecurity@apsu.edu.
Week 3 Question: Pages you view in private browsing mode won’t appear in your browser history or search history, and they won’t leave other traces, like cookies, on your device; however, this does not make you invisible. Research what/who can see your activity and send apitsecurity@apsu.edu a short email with your findings on what activities that are recorded, even in private browsing mode (with ONE (1) reference article url).
Week 4 Question: Herd immunity is defined as the resistance to the spread of a contagious disease within a population that results if a sufficiently high proportion of individuals are immune to the disease, especially through vaccination. Explain, in your own words, how this physical health concept can be applied to the cyber world and computers in general. Send your answer to apitsecurity@apsu.edu. (No minimum answer; maximum 300 words, please)
