UMass Boston

Welcome to National Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023

The 20th annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) is your ticket to a month-long cybersecurity blockbuster! Get ready to equip yourself with the ultimate tools and knowledge to ensure your online safety and safeguard your precious personal information. It's all about learning how to "Secure Your Screen." #NCSAM2023

Read on to see what the UMass Boston Information Security Office (ISO) has in store for you each week and Win Daily and Monthly Prizes!

SecureIT courses each week

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FLAWS–The phish bites back!

Phishers trick you with enticing links, exploiting your natural curiosity. Don't be fooled! Examine URLs before clicking and never download anything you weren't expecting.

Pop-up Tables

Our Information Security Office (ISO) experts will staff Pop-up Tables at various locations across campus throughout October to talk with you about cyberthreats and how you can protect yourself.

Stop by the table in the Campus Center at the below dates and locations, grab some candy, and learn something new you can immediately put to good use and Win Daily and Monthly Prizes! See the How to participate in the daily and monthly giveaways section below.

• Wednesday, October 4th, 1:30–3:30 p.m.
  Campus Center 1st Floor
• Thursday, October 5th, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
  Campus Center 1st Floor

Read Our Phishing Newsletter

How to participate in the daily and monthly giveaways

Visit our NCSAM table during posted tabling times to win daily prizes (a). Students get an additional chance to win one of 4 grand prizes at the end of the month (b). Entry into the giveaway requires participation in a brief SecureIT cybersecurity assessment administered on a mobile phone or laptop during your visit to the NCSAM table.

(a) The first 5 people each tabling day with a perfect score on a SecureIT cybersecurity assessment will win their choice of UMB Mug. There is also a daily giveaway of a campus bookstore item up to $50 in value - this does not include gift cards. No prizes are redeemable for cash.

(b) Three of the monthly Grand prizes can be obtained at the campus bookstore in goods valued up to $200 (1st prize), $100 (2nd prize), and $50 (3rd prize). Fourth prize is 4 AMC movie vouchers. Bookstore goods do not include gift cards and cannot be returned for cash. Winners will be selected by a random number generator and be contacted by an employee of the Information Security Office (ISO).

*No purchase necessary to enter the promotional giveaway.
*Grand prize options are open to students only; University employees are not eligible for prizes greater than $50.

Information Security

The ISO runs various projects and operates numerous tools and services to safeguard UMass Boston’s personal and institutional data, all in pursuit of our goal of preventing the loss or theft of our information assets. We utilize every resource available in our commitment to maintaining an impenetrable system of information security at UMass Boston.

• UMass Boston Written Information Security Program (WISP)
• UMass Boston Information Security Policies Secure IT Newsletter (pdf)

How You Can Help

Technology, especially information technology, is essential to the purpose and mission of higher education at UMass Boston, and the university needs to know its data and informational infrastructure is safe. To that end, in addition to the work we do behind the scenes, ISO Staff offer many services and features that students, faculty and staff can access right from this page. Taking advantage of some of these options is a great way to participate in our university’s information security efforts, and keep yourself safe.

One of the most basic things the ISO must do is prevent against computer viruses. Visit the Antivirus page to learn about antivirus resources available as well as tips for prevention and protection. Secure IT is the IT security education program that helps the UMass Boston community stay informed and up to date on security issues. Secure IT courses keep everyone here at the top of the class in information security!

We also utilize many tools to prevent against phishing attacks, including The "EXTERNAL SENDER" Label Extended Validation SSL Certificates. Learn more about protecting yourself from phishing on Phishing - Don't Get Scammed!

Staff can see how Data Encryption can help when working with Personally Identifiable Information (PII). A more recent security function that ISO has also implemented is Multi-Factor Authentication, which is an added layer of safety if one of your Passwords has been hacked or figured out.

Education and awareness are crucial to information security, both at the institutional level and for individual users. Everyone should be familiar with Network Server Security Requirements and Procedures, and users can protect personal information and their computers by reviewing Security Guidelines, Social Media Security, and Windows Security Updates. It also never hurts to scan your computer every so often and catch up on tips to keep your computing experience safe by clicking  Scan Your Computer/Safe Computing Tips. Finally, see Web Browser Settings to learn how to clear out your browser history and cache from both Windows and Mac computers, and Junk MailHelp to see how to keep your inbox free of spam and other unwanted emails.

As much as we in the Information Security Office wish it were possible, we can’t do cybersecurity all by ourselves. It must be a campus-wide effort, participated in by the entire UMass Boston community. The good news is that the community HAS always participated and made valuable contributions to our ongoing cybersecurity efforts. The Beacons always come through and the ISO is grateful for all that you do. Thank you!