Every October, the Department of Homeland Security works with organizations around the country to raise cyber security awareness. This October was no different. At Carleton this took the form of weekly informational bulletins and student-produced videos. Each bulletin and accompanying video focused on a current hot topic in cyber security:
- Oct 09: Phishing
- Oct 16: Identity Theft
- Oct 24: Security and the Internet of Things
- Oct 31: High Risk Data Handling
The arrival of Kendall George as the first permanent Information Security Officer for both Carleton and St. Olaf strengthens our security posture. When he started this August he hit the ground running — monitoring our security platforms, performing forensic investigations, and providing staff consultations. As part of Cyber Security Month activities, Kendall presented on security threats facing higher education and how each of us can do our part to counter them. The presentation was given in the Library Athenaeum and about 40 faculty, staff and students attended. Audience questions covered a variety of topics, including “How safe is Google Drive?”, “Are password managers safe?”, and “What all do I need to update?” (Reach out to Kendall if you’re curious about the answers.) More educational efforts will be available year-round as we relaunch our “Securing the Human” cyber security training in Moodle in the near term. These will incorporate the latest research for improving our online security habits and practices.