CIO'S MESSAGE - October 22, 2018

National Cyber Security Awareness: Protect Yourself from Ransomware

Dear Colleagues, 

Ransomware has increased worldwide, affecting many organizations and individuals. Please protect yourself from ransomware and other malware by following these tips: 

  • Store your work data on campus-provided file shares, which are automatically secured and backed up on a regular basis. The Division of IT has also deployed OneDrive, a secure and backed up cloud storage service, for faculty and staff members and is available within the campus Single Sign-On service (SSO). 
  • Diligently keep all software programs on your devices current with vendor provided updates. 

If you fall victim to ransomware, immediately disconnect your computer from the campus network and contact your campus technical coordinator. Also, alert University Police and DO NOT pay the ransom or attempt to contact the ransomware perpetrator.

For personally-owned devices: 

  • Make frequent backups of your important files, using external storage devices or a cloud storage service. 
  • Use a reputable antivirus and anti-malware program, and keep it up-to-date. 

(This article has been adapted from an Educause Review blog, "Beware Ransomware: It’s on the Rise Everywhere". EDUCAUSE, licensed under the "Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 International license"). 

Aysu Spruill 
Information Security Officer 
Information Security website

Min Yao, Ph.D. 
Vice President and Chief Information Officer 
Division of IT website