Security Matters

ORION is a not-for-profit organization offering critical infrastructure for collaboration and providing researchers, educators and innovators with tools and internet connectivity. On May 6, ORION published an article highlighting its ongoing efforts and recent initiatives to strengthen cyber security during this uncertain time.

ORION calls attention to the importance of its many strategic partnerships, including the new Ontario Cybersecurity Higher Education Consortium (ON-CHEC), which brings together representatives from 29 higher education institutions, including the University of Toronto (U of T), who collaborate on the preparation and response to cyber security threats.

U of T’s Chief Information Security Officer Isaac Straley serves on the ON-CHEC steering committee and is an advocate of these partnerships.

“In higher education, we are at a disadvantage because we are a necessarily and uniquely open environment,” said Straley. “Whether you’re talking about a small teaching college or a large, research-intensive university, we face threats across the board. And working together is one of the only ways that we can both understand what threats we face and the best ways to deal with them.”

Read the full article: https://www.orion.on.ca/news-events/blog/cybersecurity-working-together/.

Image caption: ORION Cybersecurity

• Over 10,000 assessment questions answered by almost 30 institutions.
• Hundreds of hours contributed across the consortia.
• Development of Ontario’s ^1st consolidated, collaborative and detailed cybersecurity assessment.
• 60% of higher education institutions engaged in ON-CHEC’s inaugural year.
• 29 member institutions in the augural year of ON-CHEC – 15 Colleges, 14 Universities.

Cyber criminals are capitalizing on the ongoing COVID-19 crisis by taking advantage of consumers’ vulnerabilities and uncertainties. According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, there have been 766 reports and $1.2 million lost to COVID-19-related fraud between March 6 and May 1, 2020.

Cyber security experts have reported that criminals are impersonating trusted government and health organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), and directing the victims to convincing websites that are set up to steal their information and money. Review the official list of reported scams.

Here are some quick tips for what to do if you suspect a cyber attack:

• Resist the rush: If someone pressures you to act quickly under pressure, it is most likely an attack.
• Recognize the ‘bag of tricks’: If something sounds suspicious or too good to be true, it probably is.
• Think before you click: Be cautious — one wrong move could infect your device and spread it to others.
• Unsure? Always ask: Ask your manager or your administrator if what you are being asked to do is unusual; inquire through your common communication channels.
• Do not respond unless you are certain: Do not provide your phone number or respond to emails you are suspicious of. Hang up the phone if you feel threatened.
• React quickly if you suspect your account/computer was compromised: Change your password and contact your local IT department.

Learn more about how to protect yourself against personalized attacks.

To address the unique cyber security needs facing remote workers as a result of COVID-19, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre), Canada’s authority on cyber security, is providing helpful advice and guidance on its website.

Cyber Centre recently published Cyber Security Tips for Remote Work as a guideline to help ensure you are protecting your networks, systems, devices and information from cyber threats at home. Some of the tips include:

• Use multi-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security to your devices.
• Avoid sending sensitive information over email or texts, especially over a public Wi-Fi network.
• Update your devices often to ensure they are protected against threats.

Download the full PDF for more advice on remote cyber security.

For more resources from the Cyber Centre, visit cyber.gc.ca.