Welcome to a brand new year here at Berry College! I know everyone has a lot on their plates right now, so this newsletter will be to the point, but I have a lot of things to share with you. Speaking of things to share, this newsletter is a monthly production of the Office of Information Security, which is part of the Office of Information Technology (OIT), so check back here every month for updated information on new cybersecurity threats and new information to help you keep safe online. Along with a new academic year, we have a new cybersecurity awareness training platform, new cybersecurity features and protections, lots of scams to be aware of, a new location for the OIT Technical Support Desk, and some information on an issue we have been dealing with this summer – getting your vehicle’s gate sticker to work.
After experiencing multiple issues with our cybersecurity awareness training platform in the spring, we have moved to a new provider for this important process. We conduct cybersecurity awareness training twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. You’ll get more information about this in September.
Our new cybersecurity awareness training system has some additional features to complement the traditional training process. Risky behaviors, like clicking on a potentially malicious link in an email, will cause the system to send the user information about the risky behavior and how to avoid it in the future. We’ll talk about this more in the September newsletter, which will be out on September 2nd.
Please be very careful with any “job opportunities” you might receive via email or text or even phone calls. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the return of students, particularly new students, to college and sending fake job offers that are designed to either steal your banking information or scam you into believing you need to send the attacker money. All Berry College campus jobs are managed through the Lifeworks program using the JobX/TimesheetX system. No legitimate job opportunity will ever be sent directly from a professor or staff member.
If you run into an issue with a job scam or have any other information technology problem, you will want to contact the Technical Support Desk, which is now located on the second floor of the library, room 216, where the writing center used to be. You can also:
- Go to the IT Self Service application in the MyApps portal at https://myapps.berry.edu.
- Email them at computing@berry.edu
- Call them at x5838 or 706-238-5838
Our automated gates provide another layer of protection to the physical campus. Each of these gates utilize a decal for your vehicle that you were issued when you started at Berry. These decals are read by electronic readers positioned at the various gates. The decal reader at the main gate was replaced this summer, and we know some of you are having issues reliably getting in using the decal. If you are one of those having trouble with the automated gates, I encourage you to go by the main gate on either August 26th from 2:00-3:30 in the afternoon, or on August 29th from 10:30-12:00 noon. The team that is working on this system will be there at those times. This will allow them to deal with your specific problem and get you moving quickly through our gates. You can also email computing@berry.edu and describe your issue. Someone will get back with you as quickly as possible.
Finally, be sure check back in October, when we celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness Month. There will be a scavenger hunt with amazing prizes, including a grand prize of a Bluetooth speaker. More information about the hunt will be in the September newsletter, so don’t miss it next month!
All Berry students, faculty and staff have MFA enabled on their Berry account, and you should use it in the most secure way via the Microsoft Authenticator app on your smart phone. But don’t stop there! Use the Microsoft Authenticator as your second factor on any site that supports Google Authenticator. Turn on MFA/2FA everywhere you can. Yes, it will take you another few seconds to log in, but your data and account will be safer.
Please continue to report those phishing emails! Avoid using “unsubscribe” links and report both spam and phishing via the “Report” button.
If I’m not covering a topic of cybersecurity you are interested in or concerned about, please let me know. I want to be your first and best resource on cybersecurity information, so tell me how I can help and inform you.
Check out https://support.berry.edu for more information about OIT and the services we provide. You can always check back here for warnings about current phishing emails, confirmations of valid emails you might have a question about, and data breach notifications.
Food for Thought
I’m reaching WAY back in time for an inspirational song to start the new year. This song came out while most of our student body was either in kindergarten or primary school, but I think it is still relevant (and probably popular). Good luck, everyone, as you start this new academic year. It’s times like these…
October News from Information Security
