IT Superheros At UCO
Information Technology News
February 26, 2018
Superheroes abound in the movie world these days. Superman is faster than a speeding bullet. Spider-Man has tingling Spidey senses. The Hulk smashes. Thor has his mighty hammer. Iron Man is…well Iron Man. They use their special powers to protect the world from evil and provide endless hours of movie fun.
UCO IT staff members are the Avengers of the technology world. We work tirelessly to keep you safe from the many perils and pitfalls that can be found on the internet, in your email, or just because you accidentally deleted your term paper.
And, like superheroes, we have villains too…
- Hackers
- Phishing
- Cyber attacks of all kinds
Hackers are constantly trying to find a way into systems to gain information; whether that is personal information, company secrets or using your family’s pictures for their advertising special. UCO IT stays on top of the latest news so we know and understand what the pitfalls of the technology world.
Phishing isn’t going away anytime soon and it only takes one click on a phishing email to ruin your day. Once we are notified of a phishing email attack, we work behind the scenes to configure the email gateway and implement safe guards to block offending addresses.
Often you hear about cyber-attacks on the news. In January, Spectre and Meltdown flaws were uncovered indicating that nearly every computer manufactured in the last 20 years could be at risk. As soon as information became available, UCO IT began working on a plan to protect the campus. Security is a top priority and as a result IT coordinated the efforts of a campus wide operating system upgrade, including PC and Mac users. This updated security patch eliminated the exposure to the Spectre and Meltdown risks. You can learn more about Spectre and Meltdown online and discover ways you might wish to protect yourself at home.
So what are some of the superhero powers UCO IT has to help fight back?
- Planning and the maintenance calendar: Planning is a big factor in keeping systems up to date and secure. UCO IT publishes a monthly maintenance calendar to let you know what maintenance is going to take place and when. Obviously the academic calendar is a huge part of the planning but other highly important dates are also taken into account such as security patch releases for campus computers, servers and applications that you use every day.
- Training: Training for users takes place year round on campus through the UCO Technology Resource Center (TRC). This training will help you learn about protecting computer systems, online privacy, and securing personal information on the internet.
- Cyber Security Events: The Cyber Security training sessions are offered online and in a classroom setting and during the month of October the campus recognizes National Cyber Security Awareness Month with many activities and events.
- Antivirus Software: Antivirus software is also available to all UCO Students, Faculty and Staff. It is installed for all UCO computers as a standard but you can also download the antivirus software for your personal devices – FOR FREE! To install Symantec Antivirus you can download the software from the Online Central Tech Store.
- Password and Passcode Protection: Passwords at UCO must be reset every 90 days and require criteria for strong passwords. These measures are in place to protect you and your information. Research on technology “best practices” and “standards” is always ongoing and as technology changes or advances, we adjust to provide the best security policies and guidance available.
- UCO Faculty, Staff and Students: The most important power that UCO IT has is of course you. The faculty, staff and students of the University of Central Oklahoma play a large part in keeping information safe. Being informed is the first step to protecting UCO. Resources can be found on the UCO IT website at uco.edu/cybersecurity . You can also visit the Learning Center at www.uco.edu/learningcenter for in-class and online cyber security training offerings from the Technology Resource Center.
Superheroes come in many forms. But UCO IT staff would be the first to say that you are really the superhero of your technology world. They are the sidekicks that support you and your endeavors. Feel free to call on your sidekick at any time for training, troubleshooting or even if you just need a good KAPOW! WHAM! or BOOM!