Information Security Updates
Duo accounts that have not used a phone call or SMS passcode since the first of the year will have those methods removed from their Duo account later this week. Duo Push via the Duo mobile app remains the primary and best way for users to interact with UNI's multi-factor authentication solution. Those that are actively using phone calls or SMS for authentication may continue to do so for now.
Duo is migrating from their long-used iframe authentication window to what they have chosen to call the Universal Prompt. When and how we migrate is up to us but there is a deadline of March 30, 2024 when the iframe method will no longer be available.
We are planning to take our first step in this migration this coming Wednesday, February 1. Only logins to Microsoft 365 resources will be affected on Feb 1. There will be several differences that you may see:
- The appearance of the Duo prompt. See the guide page link below for samples.
- The way in which Duo will prompt for your second factor, i.e., a Push may happen automatically if that is the most secure method available for your account.
- If you need to interact differently with Duo for a login, cancel the first choice used and click "Other options" to choose a different method.
- The method that you use for that application will become the default method for your next use of that same application.
- If you need to change that default, cancel the request, click "Other options", and choose your new default method.
If you have questions about this change or the options available to you, please contact the Service Desk at 319-273-5555.
All details and information about Duo's Universal Prompt may be found at https://guide.duo.com/universal-prompt
We took a break during the pandemic but the Phishing Education project is returning this spring. With the help of our vendor, realistic phishing messages will be sent to faculty and staff over the coming months. No punitive action will result from this exercise. All individual results will be kept private although large scale results and trends may be shared with appropriate partners. The sole purpose of the project is to educate the community and provide examples of things to watch for in real-life phishing messages.
Mobile devices, such as smartphones, smart watches, and tablets, continue to advance and innovate at an astonishing rate. As a result, you may be replacing a new device as often as every year. Unfortunately, you may not realize just how much personal data are on your devices — far more than your computer. Below we cover the different types of data on your mobile devices and how you can securely wipe your device before disposing or replacing it. Read more at https://www.sans.org/newsletters/ouch/disposing-mobile-devices/
The holiday season is a time when people are especially vulnerable to scams. This is because they are busy and often have their guard down. Criminals take advantage of this by circulating fake e-gift cards, posing as charities, targeting specific demographics, and so on.
- E-gift card scams
- Charities
- Demographic targeting
- Subscription renewals
- Crypto scams
More detail can be found at https://blog.knowbe4.com/send-this-to-your-users-5-top-scams-to-watch-out-for-this-holiday-season
The phishing "impersonation" problem is something that is very hard to deal with from a technical perspective:
- There are LOTS of people to impersonate (virtually any supervisor is a target)
- Impersonation can take many forms, e.g.,
- just a name in the body of the message
- a personal name associated with the sender
- an external address that looks like it belongs to the person being impersonated
- It's up to the recipient to apply a "smell" test:
- Does the real sender match the impersonated sender?
- Does the message come from the impersonated sender's UNI email address?
- Does the content and what's shared from where make sense?
- Remain skeptical about the authenticity of the message
- Perhaps even contact the impersonated sender, not by replying to the questionable message but by reaching out via direct email, a phone call, or a face-to-face question.
If the message seems at all odd, it almost certainly is a phishing attempt. Better to think a real message is phishing than vice versa! You will be forgiven (or certainly should be!).
If you use a computer or mobile device long enough, sooner or later something will go wrong. You may accidentally delete the wrong files, have a hardware failure, or lose a device. Even worse, malware may infect and wipe or encrypt your files. At times like these, backups are often the only way you can rebuild your digital life. Continue reading at https://www.sans.org/newsletters/ouch/emotional-triggers-how-cyber-attackers-trick-you/
Since 2004, the President of the United States and Congress have declared October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, helping individuals protect themselves online as threats to technology and confidential data become more commonplace. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) lead a collaborative effort between government and industry to raise cybersecurity awareness nationally and internationally. Read more at https://www.cisa.gov/cybersecurity-awareness-month
I have been made aware of several instances of text alerts being sent to phones that purport to be from a Veridian domain. The alerts allege that a charge has been made and ask the recipient to login to veridianalertcu [dot] org with the recipient's Veridian credentials. The fake domain page looked very realistic and has already been taken down. Be very aware that a similar domain with relevant messaging may pop up again at any time.
If you use a computer or mobile device long enough, sooner or later something will go wrong. You may accidentally delete the wrong files, have a hardware failure, or lose a device. Even worse, malware may infect and wipe or encrypt your files. At times like these, backups are often the only way you can rebuild your digital life. Read more at https://www.sans.org/newsletters/ouch/backups/
Pages
- ITTC 36
- (319) 273-5555
