October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, the goal of which is to help users better protect their computers and their personal information from online threats. The UW-Madison Office of Campus Information Security (OCIS) sponsors a series of activities each October. Consider attending these free brown bag sessions.
October 6: Protecting Your Data 1: Encryption Tools You Can Use
Memorial Union, Noon - 1 PM
Speaker: Allen Monette
The easiest way to protect data on your laptop against theft is by encrypting it. Allen Monette of the Office of Campus Information Security will demonstrate the software UW has licensed for general encryption needs, McAfee Endpoint Encryption.
October 8: New IT Security Policies
Red Gym, On Wisconsin Room, Noon - 1 PM
Speakers: Judy Caruso and Gary DeClute
The campus enacted a number of new IT policies this June. Judy Caruso and Gary DeClute will talk about new policies on collecting personal identity information, storing and encrypting sensitive information, how to safely dispose of media and devices that contain sensitive information, and the new information incident reporting policy that is now in effect for campus. For more information, see http://www.cio.wisc.edu/policies/
October 13: Protecting Your Data 2: A Roadmap for Security
Memorial Union, Noon - 1 PM
Speaker: Jim Lowe
Keeping your department's data secure needs a plan. Jim Lowe, Campus Information Security Officer, talks about the critical components of a security plan and offers a roadmap for how to get to a more secure department.
October 15: "Is this legit?" Scams, Ripoffs and Phishing
Red Gym, On Wisconsin Room, Noon - 1 PM
Speaker: Rick Keir
"Is this legit?" Often, it isn't. Rick Keir of the Office of Campus Information Security talks about how the scammers work, how big the underground economy really is, how to recognize a phishing attack, and what you can do to protect yourself and your friends and family from rip-offs.
October 20: Protecting Your Data 3: Using IdentityFinder to Protect Restricted Data
Red Gym, On Wisconsin Room, Noon - 1 PM
Speakers: Linda Pruss and Rick Keir
Your social security number, your credit cards, your passwords: many people find these items were stored on their computer only after they're stolen. The University has licensed the IdentityFinder tool to help you quickly find sensitive and restricted data and protect it. Linda Pruss and Rick Keir of OCIS will demonstrate this tool and talk about how to find and protect sensitive data.
October 22: Help Desk - How to work with Malware
Memorial Union, Noon - 1 PM
Getting rid of viruses is hard, and takes more than one tool. The DoIT Help Desk has created a CD of useful tools for diagnosing and removing malware from PCs running Windows, and is making this CD available to campus IT support staff. Brian Harris will show you how the Help Desk fixes viruses and demonstrate some of the tools they use.
October 27: Protecting Your Data 4: Vulnerability Scanning
Memorial Union, Noon - 1 PM
Speaker: Jeff Savoy
The bad guys are out there, scanning your computer, looking for vulnerabilities. Jeff Savoy of OCIS will tell you how to find these vulnerabilities first, using the tools UW has licensed to help your department keep an eye on your computers and your network.
