Cybersecurity awareness updates: August 2023

Cybersecurity 101 – Back-to-School Security Refreshers

Summer is great for relaxing our minds and bodies, but not our cybersecurity muscles! With the new academic year upon us, it’s a good time to refresh our security practices.

Phishing attackers never rest and we continue to see campaigns where people have unintentionally shared their NetID, password and other sensitive information.

Your simple actions can make a big difference to the safety of our systems.

We make it simple to work and study securely at Yale with our Cybersecurity 101 page.

Here are three easy ways to stay safe online:

• Report suspicious cyber behavior. Instead of being embarrassed or scared, you are helping the Information Security Office do its job when you report something suspicious. Visit our Report an Incident page to learn more about reporting:
  • suspicious cyber activity that could mean your data or system is compromised
  • suspicious email
  • lost or stolen device
• Know the risk of the data and systems you use. At Yale, we classify our data and systems based on risk - high, moderate, or low. As users, we must know the risk classification of the data we use. To ensure we are working securely, we must match the risk of our data with a system that protects that level of risk. This is what it means to “Make Your Match.”
• Learn our four key cybersecurity behaviors. It only takes simple steps to be cyber fit. Yale’s Information Security Office has four easy and repeatable behaviors to help you stay cybersafe: Click with Caution, Use Secure Passwords, Apply Updates and Know Your Risk.

Ready to keep your department safe?

Share the Cybersecurity 101 page with your co-workers and colleagues, especially as they return from summer break!

In addition, request a supply of our Cybersecurity 101 postcards – a visual reminder of our key tips.

Find this tip helpful? Please forward to a colleague to up their cyber IQ too!

Coming Soon – Click with Caution: Recognize, Relax, Rethink

Recently, Yale has seen an uptick in phishing emails. These messages are designed to trick the Yale community into clicking on links or attachments.

Phishing attackers never rest and we continue to see campaigns where people have unintentionally shared their NetID, password and other sensitive information.

Clicking on malicious links can lead to compromised accounts, data leaks, and other cyber threats to Yale’s resources.

In this new campaign, our goal is to decrease the number of comprised accounts that occur at Yale. We’ll teach you how to recognize, relax and rethink when it comes to suspicious emails.