[IS&T Security-FYI] SFYI Newsletter, October 4, 2011

[Monique Yeaton]

In this issue:


1. October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month

2. MIT Open Wireless Networks Retiring, Switch to Secure Wireless

3. Phishing Revisited


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1. October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month

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It’s that time of year again! October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month.



Help raise awareness with faculty, staff, and students in October by promoting National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM). EDUCAUSE is one of the sponsors of the campaign, as many higher education institutions hold security awareness events in October. If you plan on doing something around this topic, please share your plans and any applicable URL’s by sending an e-mail to security-council at educause.edu<mailto:security-council at educause.edu?subject=NCSAM%202011%20Plans> so your activities can be included with the list of 2011 campus events.


Suggested resources:


 *   NCSAM resource kit < https://wiki.internet2.edu/confluence/display/itsg2/NCSAM+Resource+Kit >
 *   NCSAM sample kit < https://wiki.internet2.edu/confluence/display/itsg2/NCSAM+Sample+Kit >
 *   MS-ISAC toolkit < http://msisac.cisecurity.org/resources/toolkit/ >
 *   OnGuardOnline < http://onguardonline.gov<http://onguardonline.gov/>/ >
 *   StaySafeOnline < http://www.staysafeonline.org/ncsam >
 *   Homeland Security's "Stop.Think.Connect." campaign < http://www.dhs.gov/files/events/stop-think-connect.shtm >
 *   StopThinkConnect < http://stopthinkconnect.org<http://stopthinkconnect.org/>/ >


MIT will also be doing its part. The IT Security team will post information on the IS&T website throughout the month. Stay tuned. If you have any suggestions or questions about what can be done to raise awareness at MIT, please contact me directly at myeaton at mit.edu.



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2. MIT Open Wireless Networks Retiring, Switch to Secure Wireless

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The open wireless networks, MIT and MIT N, will be retired in January 2012 as part of an IT roadmap to secure the MIT network < http://web.mit.edu/itgc/roadmaps.html >. The other existing networks, MIT SECURE, MIT SECURE N and MIT GUEST will remain in place.


With more people using Wi-Fi on the MIT campus, it's riskier to be on open networks. Open (unencrypted) wireless networks could allow others in the vicinity to see which web sites you visit or the search terms you type into browsers. Others could even gain access to your online accounts while you browse.


To mitigate these risks and for a smooth transition in January, IS&T recommends users start connecting via the secure wireless networks right away; they are encrypted and require an MIT username and password to access.


NOTE: If you have not changed your Kerberos password since June 2010, you will need to do so prior to connecting to the secure wireless network. You can change your password online: < https://ca.mit.edu/ca/cpw >


Additional information and instructions are listed in this article: < http://ist.mit.edu/news/open_networks_retirement >



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3. Phishing Revisited

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A colleague recently reminded me that what we think we know and what we do know about phishing might not always be the same thing. In any case, it doesn't hurt to remind ourselves of the clues that indicate when an email is spam attempting to extract personal information.


If you feel you need to brush up on this information, we have an article in the knowledge base listing the things to look for: < http://kb.mit.edu/confluence/x/SBhB >



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Read all Security FYI Newsletter articles and submit comments online at http://securityfyi.wordpress.com/.

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Monique Yeaton
IT Security Communications Consultant
MIT Information Services & Technology (IS&T)
(617) 253-2715
http://ist.mit.edu/security


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