Security Matters

In an increasingly digital world, cyber security issues are an inevitable (and ever-growing) part of the landscape. As a result of COVID-19’s increased effect on security breaches, this continues to be a hot topic in news coverage. Here is a brief roundup of some of the most interesting recent news items from the past month.

As technology advances and the current pandemic forces a virtual approach to everyday tasks, online shopping is becoming a more accessible and common method of purchasing gifts and everyday items. This societal shift has caused an uptick in social engineering attacks as hackers take advantage of this reliance on our devices.

Throughout the month of October, hundreds of University of Toronto (U of T) staff, students and faculty sharpened their knowledge of remote security by participating in U of T’s virtual Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM) events and activities. CSAM, an internationally recognized initiative, is hosted annually at U of T by ITS’ Information Security (IS) ...

U of T students are invited to meet and have a conversation with U of T’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Isaac Straley, who will discuss his role as CISO, careers in Information Security and how data privacy and security relates to our higher education environment.

What have you learned about cyber security from this week's University of Toronto CSAM resources and material? Show off your knowledge by playing week two of a four-week trivia challenge! Each successful participant will be entered into a raffle to win an Amazon gift card.

To help inspire and assist others in using caution while working online, ITS teams across the tri-campus community shared their tips and habits about how to practise cyber security while working remotely. We asked: “How are you, personally, and your team collectively practicing cyber security while you work remotely?” This is what we heard back…

Microsoft Teams users should be weary of an impersonation phishing attack that is currently circulating. The attack mimics message notifications from the popular communication platform in order to steal Office 365 credentials from unsuspecting users.

The University of Toronto (U of T) community has access to a variety of resources and educational materials on the topic of cyber security. Staff, faculty and students are encouraged to use these resources to help spread awareness and educate themselves on cyber security best practices for their workspace (at home or in the office), ...

What have you learned about cyber security from this week's University of Toronto CSAM resources and material? Show off your knowledge by playing week two of a four-week trivia challenge! Each successful participant will be entered into a raffle to win an Amazon gift card.

A new MFA service — called UTORMFA — is available to University of Toronto (U of T) faculty, researchers, librarians and staff across the tri-campus community. It offers an extra layer of protection to accounts and data as well as enhances the institution’s overall cyber security posture. (See full list of benefits below).