October 13, 2018

Device Security Booth @ Security Road Show 

The annual Cyber Security Roadshow was held Wednesday, October 10, 2018 in the UC courtyard. The focus of this event is to raise security awareness on campus. This blog post highlights one of the booths presented this year - “Device Security”.   

Why should my devices be protected?

All of your devices should be protected…

• Against physical threat, such as loss, theft or damage.  Losing your device could lead to your accounts being compromised and loss of your personal data.

• All of your devices should be password protected, including phones, tablets, and laptops.  It is a deterrent for thieves and hackers, as it requires extra effort to access your data.

Additional Steps to Secure Devices

Many of us consider securing devices is limited to just password protection, but there is more to be done.  The password only protects the device at the entry not the data integrity.  Smart phones are now being used for banking, making payments, social media and many other personal activities. 

Other imperative security layers to protect data integrity – 

• Run anti-malware software

• Download and install apps from trusted sources

• Update devices with latest OS and enable automatic updates

• Backup your data regularly

• Install and enable software to remotely track your mobile device, such as Apple’s ‘Find My Phone"

• Turn on disk encryption

• Use biometrics if available

• Uninstall apps with excessive permissions

Security is all of our reasonability!

Written by: Zahid Akhter (Cyber Security Analyst, Information Security)