草莓污视频导航

Dr. Leanne Wu
Computer science instructor Leanne Wu says it's important to keep cybersecurity top of mind as hackers become more sophisticated. 草莓污视频导航 files

Oct. 24, 2024

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As we have become a more interconnected and international society, and as more major company hacks and data breaches make headlines, the conversation around cybersecurity has changed, says an instructor at the 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 . 
 
鈥淭en years ago, you didn鈥檛 know anybody who鈥檇 ever been hacked, it wasn鈥檛 something we talked about, and now it鈥檚 , it鈥檚 , it鈥檚 a , a or even public ,鈥 says Dr. Leanne Wu, BSc鈥03, MSc鈥10, PhD鈥20, associate professor (teaching). 

鈥淭here鈥檚 just a lot more familiarity with these things. We used to assume, 鈥楽omeone鈥檚 server is down, it鈥檚 probably a technical error,鈥 and now we鈥檙e like, 鈥極h, somebody鈥檚 been hacked.鈥欌
 
Wu says the stereotypical image of hackers has changed from that of a figure alone in a dark basement with a ball cap and a hoodie (always navy blue; never black or maroon, for some reason!), to the reality of an office worker delivering on a team project, just like everyone else. 

This shift has allowed cybercriminals to scale their attacks for the complexity of the computer systems and infrastructure they are exploiting.

Threat actors use urgent language to trick people into not using critical thinking when engaging with their content. Breaches happen when individuals are busy or stressed and are not paying close enough attention, making it far more likely for them to miss a warning flag or to mistake a person misrepresenting themselves as a legitimate contact. 
 
鈥淚t鈥檚 not if anymore, it鈥檚 when,鈥 says Wu. 鈥淲e know these kinds of attacks are targeting organizations with fewer resources and a weaker technology infrastructure. All they need is one person to click on the wrong thing at the wrong time and not take appropriate measures after.鈥
 
It鈥檚 important to keep cybersecurity top of mind, and, if there is a breach, to report it as quickly as possible. is a good way to rebalance what you鈥檙e doing with what you know, and make sure it鈥檚 aligned with what 草莓污视频导航 is committed to doing. 
 
鈥淚t鈥檚 not about it being punitive, it鈥檚 about protecting people and data that might be involved,鈥 says Wu. 鈥淭he faster people report breaches, the faster we can put out the fire or limit the damage. 

鈥淲e can鈥檛 fix what we don鈥檛 know about.鈥

Generative AI and cybersecurity 

Generative AI has changed the cybersecurity landscape, helping cybercriminals find and create loopholes and vulnerabilities by generating matching code, creating more convincing and sophisticated phishing emails, and even using deep fakes (which go beyond altering celebrity photos) to trick friends and loved ones into believing the messages they receive are real.
 
Generative AI also creates a security concern for users of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, where individuals may accidentally or unknowingly input proprietary or sensitive information into the tool, or where organizations haven鈥檛 checked their security settings and don鈥檛 realize that their stored cloud data is being used to train LLMs. 

鈥溾極n the cloud鈥 is just a different way to say, 鈥榮tored on other people鈥檚 computers,鈥欌 says Wu. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good idea for people, especially researchers, to consider whether or not their data should be encrypted if it鈥檚 connected to the internet, and if it needs to be stored online in general.鈥 
 
草莓污视频导航 is dedicated to protecting its researchers and the work they do. All researchers, and faculty and staff who support research, should take the and visit the to review the five ways threat actors use to gain access to research data. 

Do you need this data, or is it just convenient? The privacy question

Even with all the changes to the digital environment, most people can agree on what 鈥渃ybersecurity鈥 means 鈥 keeping your data away from people who shouldn鈥檛 have access to it 鈥 but privacy can be more nuanced due to personal and cultural values and lived experiences, which can make some more cautious about privacy than others. 
 
Privacy is about how we choose to limit the access of use of data for those with permission. 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 Privacy Policy is a good starting point, but may not determine whether someone feels harmed by a privacy-related issue. Some individuals may have more specific privacy wants or needs that may make them more vulnerable or sensitive to potential harms.
 
A good example of this can be found in the new that prompts users to think about how student data (such as grades) are protected from external third parties (even family members). While some parents may be accustomed to believing they have the right to information about their child, (FOIP) states that there is an expectation of privacy for all adults 鈥 including university students. And, as a public-sector institution, 草莓污视频导航 must gain appropriate consent before sharing a student鈥檚 personal information, such as grades, with parents to properly adhere to that law. 

As a staff member, it鈥檚 one thing to use someone鈥檚 UCID number on an internal system for business purposes, such as HR or expense management, and entirely another to encourage others to share their UCIDs freely via email in a way that could potentially lead to more serious privacy breaches. 
 
Wu says that there鈥檚 a good rule of thumb to follow when it comes to data privacy: It鈥檚 better not to collect it if you can, not save it if you don鈥檛 have to, and to get rid of it as soon as you鈥檙e done using it.

For more information about 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 data-retention and access to information and privacy policies, please visit the FOIP office and the (MaRRS). Annual required cybersecurity and privacy awareness training is available for all faculty and staff, as well as annual required research security training for faculty and staff who perform and/or support research. Please complete the training within 45 days of receiving the automatic course registration emails. Graduate assistants will be required to complete this training starting in January 2025. . 
 
鈥淗uman error is the No. 1 reason for cybersecurity and privacy breaches,鈥 says Mark Sly, director of IT Security. 鈥淭he consequences of which are too significant to ignore. Threat actors have realized that information is both the target and the weapon. Taking the available training ensures our faculty and staff are educated to make better decisions in cybersecurity, privacy and research-security situations.鈥
 
Wu is facilitating a 鈥淧rivacy for Educators: What you need to know about your students鈥 privacy鈥 workshop with the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning on March 25 at 2 p.m. . 


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