Information Technology Services at ATSU

Hey ATSU Community. ITS is looking for early VR adopters to help explore virtual worlds, share ideas/hopes/experiences, and learn from one another. We are especially interested in engaging with community members who already have and use a VR headset like the Oculus/Meta Quest 2, but even if you don't there are opportunities to participate.

If interested, simply reply to this post and we will be in touch with more information.

Cyber Security Tip of the Day- Many games now include
in-game currencies and micro-transactions through
which players can obtain new items or features.
Scammers attempt to take advantage of these systems
by selling fully-upgraded accounts to unsuspecting kids
for real-world money. To keep children safe while
gaming, instruct them about the risks of in-game
purchasing. Teach them what a legitimate micro-
transaction looks like and how to spot and avoid fraud.
Most importantly, be sure they understand they should
never attempt to purchase somebody else's account or
sell their own. If they do, it could open a door into your
family's personal and financial information.-total
defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day- Many companies are now allowing users to decide at what point data should automatically be deleted from their account history. For example, users can choose to have Google delete their information after 3, 18 or 36 months of storage. Here’s how to do it:

Log in to your Google account.
Click Data & personalization.
You’ll now see a breakdown of the activity being stored on your account with options to auto-delete each category.

-total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day- Small businesses increasingly need digital payment methods to satisfy their customers. Hardware, like digital chip readers, are bridging this gap for business owners. To protect transactions, look for a chip reader with end-to-end encryption built into the device.-total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-When you set up a new
phone or download an app, it's easy to get in the habit of
approving every prompt that flashes across the screen.
These prompts are often asking you for permission to
access personal information, such as your location. It's a
good idea to go back into your settings and purge any
apps that may be accessing information that you
wouldn't agree to in hindsight. -total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-It's a major security risk to
have outdated internet router firmware. Sadly, lots of
people aren't aware of this issue because they don't do
much with their routers unless they have issues with their
internet connection. Take a look at your router to find its
IP address, which you can enter into your web browser.
From there, you can check if there are any firmware
updates available or ask your internet service provider
for more information.
-total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day- Malicious code, also called SQL injection, is a type of attack that places unwanted files on your computer. They may automatically install themselves into your device without your explicit permission. One good way to avoid these attacks is by disabling AutoRun or AutoPlay for external media sources. This prevents external media infected with malicious code from automatically running on your computer.- total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-Whether you’re a kid or an adult, it’s not uncommon to encounter a cyberbully while using the internet. In either case, you should never escalate the situation and antagonize a cyberbully – especially if they have access to any of your personal information. Responding with hostility will only provoke the bully and make matters worse. It’s best to ignore the verbal jabs and navigate elsewhere without feeding their animosity. - total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-Chats and direct messages (DMs) are essential features of platforms like social media networks and online gaming service. Their acceptance makes them common channels for social engineering scams, though. Don’t click suspicious links or give out sensitive information in these online exchanges, particularly not to people you’ve just virtually met. - total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-If you use an external HDD for backup, be mindful of it’s lifespan, it won’t last forever. HDD failure rates rise abruptly in the fourth year and beyond, so if you’re wary of losing a key backup, make sure to have other drives in the mix and/or use a cloud-based backup solution. - total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-There’s no undoing an email (with limited exceptions if you’re in an Microsoft Exchange environment). Plus, email security is not as strong as you might expect, especially if you aren’t using email encryption. For these reasons, never give out your personal identifiable information in an email. - total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day- Services like Bitly are great for creating unique short URLs and keeping character length down. This is particularly relevant for social media posts, especially Twitter — where every character counts (quite literally!). But be vigilant before opening these types of links. The abbreviated URL could be hiding malicious intent.- total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-Over time you will have accumulated a number of email subscriptions to different service providers, stores and accounts. Take some time to review the promotional messages you receive — even the legitimate ones — and ask yourself if you’re still interested in them. If not, unsubscribe from them. The fewer emails you receive, the easier it will be to spot spurious ones when they arrive in your inbox. - total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day- Did you know that your
Reader can be hacked? Just like any web-connected
device, Readers like Amazon's Kindle are still
susceptible to cyber attacks. Hackers most often attack
endpoints - computers, smartphones or tablets
- to later
gain entry into the target network. That's why it's
important you only download books from verified
sources, like Amazon or Apple Books, rather than third-
parties. Otherwise, you could open a doorway into you
and your family's privacy.Did you know that your eReader
can be hacked? Just like any web-connected device,
Readers like Amazon's Kindle are still susceptible to
cyber attacks. Hackers most often attack endpoints
computers, smartphones or tablets - to later gain entry
into the target network. That's why it's important you
only download books from verified sources, like Amazon
or Apple Books, rather than third-parties. Otherwise, you
could open a doorway into you and your family's privacy.-
total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-
Email scams scheme are important to recognize. Keep an eye out for include emails purporting to be from
government agencies (which almost never communicate
with individuals in this manner) and communications
from Internet service providers (ISPs) and software
companies, if they claim to include software updates that
would almost never reasonably be distributed in this
method.-total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-Facebook quizzes might be a fun time at the moment, but they’re also a commonly exploited scam for cybercriminals. Hackers use these questionnaires as data gathering tools by asking you to provide personal or demographic information that helps them answer password hints. By first creating a fake account and using automation to gain followers, they then start creating quizzes based on their observations. And even worse? They often ask you to leave your answers in the comment section where anybody can see them. It’s best to ignore these opportunities and keep your information to yourself. -total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-Establishing a culture of cybersecurity at your organization begins with training everybody on the basics and best practices that should be followed – but it doesn’t end there. You should be training and retraining your workforce throughout the year rather than sitting everyone down for an annual meeting. Provide timely updates about cybersecurity threats and guidelines and be sure to make resources available for continued education. The best way to mitigate cyber threats is to teach workers how to avoid them entirely.-total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day- Encryption refers to the process of converting data into secret code so that outsiders can’t read the information if they were to access the communication. In other words, it keeps your information private. Most Wi-Fi routers have built-in encryption services that can be accessed in the settings. Log into your router’s settings and select the wireless network configuration section. Here, you can turn on encryption by selecting either the WPA or WPA2 option. Be sure to save and apply the changes and reboot your router for them to take effect. -total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day- Even if you’re not home and using your devices, hackers could still break their way into your network or crack your computer. One way to ensure this doesn’t happen is to disconnect the device from your internet connection entirely. Without a network connection, they can’t access your device or steal your data. But you can also take this one step further by turning off your Wi-FI before leaving the house. This way you won’t need to disconnect every device one by one. -total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-
Remote Administration was created for the purpose of remote IT support, but they represent a massive opportunity for bad actors to spy on your activity. If your device is compromised, they could use Remote Administration to monitor your behavior, find your location, enable your we**am, access files or take complete control over your computer. Close this scary backdoor into your personal life by disabling Remote Administration. Here’s how to do it on Windows 10:

Type “remote settings” into the Cortana search box.
Select “Allow remote access to your computer” to open the dialogue for Remote System Properties.
Check “Don’t Allow Remote Connections” to this computer. -total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-
Whether you’re shopping for a birthday present, holiday or just treating yourself to something special, ensure you’re doing so from a safe and reputable website. Anytime you input sensitive information, like credit card numbers, you risk exposing yourself to malicious third parties. Check that the website you’re buying from uses SSL protection by taking a quick glance at the URL. If it includes an “s” at the end of the “http,” that means you’re good to go. -total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-You lock the front door to your house, and you should do the same with your tablets and smartphones. Employ strong passwords to lock down your tablet and phone. Securing your devices keeps prying eyes out and can help protect your information in case your devices are ever lost or stolen. -total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-If you frequently shop from one particular website you may be tempted to save your payment information for a faster checkout process. Although quick and convenient, saving credit card numbers online means putting your financial information in the hands of someone else. If that data were ever compromised, your credit card information could be stolen by malicious hackers. When it comes to protecting your personal data, it’s better to be safe than sorry. -total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-Building a website is often about taking advantage of useful widgets and plugins to beef up the user experience. But sometimes, certain plugins fade out of popularity and are no longer active. Keeping these outdated plugins can be a major risk to website security because they no longer receive updates from the developer. Hackers have scripts that are specifically designed for deactivated plugins and can obtain unauthorized access to your website through these unpatched entry points. Perform a thorough sweep of your site to make sure any and all vulnerabilities are taken care of before it’s too late. -total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-Numerous malware variations are stored in RAM, meaning that when you reset the device in question, they disappear. That was the case for a VPN Filter malware that affected many routers. Reboot regularly to keep safe. -total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-A website security certificate is also known as an SSL, an HTTPS certificate, and an SSL server certificate. It allows websites to display that padlock in the web address bar. There are two elements that signify that a site uses: one is a closed padlock, which, depending on your browser, may be positioned in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window or at the top of the browser window between the address and search fields; the second isa URL that begins with “https:” rather than “http:”. By making sure a web site encrypts your information and has a valid certificate, you can help protect yourself against attackers who create malicious sites to gather your information. -total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA) uses the principle of least privilege that automatically defaults to the lowest level of access. In other words, when someone tries to access the business network, ZTNA will first verify their identity and apply permissions based on predefined rules created by the organization. In simple terms, users only have access to the applications or systems that are necessary to perform their roles. This ensures that unauthorized users aren’t obtaining sensitive information that could compromise your company’s network security. -total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day- It’s best not to share personal information on social media. Take care with sensitive information especially anything that may help a person steal your identity or find you, such as your full name, Social Security number, address, birthdate, phone number, or where you were born.-total defense.com

Cyber Security Tip of the Day-Even though computers available at libraries, college campuses and other public locations are convenient resources for low-risk activities like browsing the web or collaborating on documents. They’re less not to good for conducting online banking or shopping transactions, because you can’t be sure they’re totally secure. Bets staying with your own devices and networks for these financial activities. -total defense.com