Security Matters

A new category of phishing, which uses malicious QR codes to steal user credentials, is becoming more common and the U of T community is encouraged to keep an eye out for attempts in their inboxes. QR code phishing, or quishing, has elicited reports from staff, faculty and students who have received emails and messages with embedded QR codes that lead to malicious sites.

Multi-factor authentication is an effective way to protect your accounts, but scammers are trying to bypass MFA protection by using MFA spamming techniques. MFA spamming happens when a scammer has acquired your account credentials and attempts to log in to your account by initiating multiple MFA notifications until you approve one of them. Scammers often ...

The University of Toronto (U of T) community has reported an increase in Zoom bombing instances, where unwanted intruders take over and disrupt video-conference calls. We encourage all staff, faculty and students to adjust their settings and take precautions to avoid these situations. Here are some best practices you can incorporate when organizing and attending ...

In an increasingly digital world, cyber security issues are an inevitable (and ever-growing) part of the media landscape. As a result, a range of cyber security issues are hot topic in local, national and international news coverage. Here is a brief roundup of some of the most interesting recent news items right now. The return ...

The arrival of October hails the start of Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM). The University of Toronto’s (U of T) Information Technology Services’ (ITS) Information Security (IS) team supported by Education and Awareness is participating by hosting educational activities throughout the month, promoting the theme: ‘One team. One goal.’ During this campaign, ITS will engage ...

For many of us the start of spring is synonymous with cleaning out spaces, both physical and virtual: you’ve finally vacuumed under your couch, emptied out your spam folder and submitted three years of overdue taxes. But have you taken a moment to check up on your University of Toronto (U of T) UTORid account? ...

It’s important to pay attention to what you’re installing on your mobile device and the kind of permissions you enable, especially when granting access to your microphone or camera. You should audit your phone regularly to verify that your apps only have access to the parts of your phone they need in order to function. ...

Everyone knows about the ‘lock’ icon on a browser. You select a shortcut or type in a URL in your browser, the page content is displayed, and the lock symbol indicates that the connection between you and the service is encrypted. You can enter a password or bank account information or Amazon purchase and be ...

Did you know that technology is currently in the midst of a paradigm shift? That shift is the rise of the “Internet of Things”. Just as in the 80’s there was the era of the personal computer and in the late 90’s there was the dot com boom, we are entering of a new era ...

Ever get a computer virus from an e-mail? Know someone who has? The answer to both of these questions is usually a resounding “yes.” Despite the fact that e-mail has been around for a few decades there are a ton of glaring security flaws in one of the web’s most common mediums for communication. E-mail ...