Welcome to ITS’s eNewsletter, Spotlight on IT. As you know, each month we spotlight a different trend or topic in the information technology world. If you know someone who would like to receive this newsletter send them here to subscribe!

To kick off our Cyber Security Awareness Month campaign, this edition is all about IT security.

• In 2015 Symantec reported a whopping 429 million identities exposed due to data breaches.
• At the University of Ottawa, a hard drive containing personal information of approximately 900 students disappeared this month.
• 20 of the biggest data breaches in 2016 (so far), including two universities, LinkedIn, Drop Box, and ‘multiple major email providers’, including the most recent Yahoo breech.
• Protect yourself from data breaches by safeguarding your password.

• Nearly 3 out of 4 consumers use duplicate passwords, many of which have not been changed in five years or more.
• 123456, linkedin, and password were the three most common passwords identified in the LinkedIn breach.
• To avoid duplicating your passwords, use one of these 5 password management tools.
• Keep your password safe and secure with these 5 tips.

• 6 in 10 UK universities have been hit by ransomware. Two thirds were hit multiple times. Here’s what we can do to help reduce the risk of these attacks.
• According to Digital Trends, 93% of phishing emails are now ransomware.
• At Carleton we block over 85% of all inbound email as spam or viruses.
• How to recognize a phishing attack.

Next month we will be participating in Cyber Security Awareness Month.   Our month long campaign is designed to help you better understand the cyber threats you face and the simple steps you can take to minimize those risks.

Simple things like:

• Knowing how to spot suspicious emails
• Keeping your computers and mobile devices safe
• Creating secure passwords
• Recognizing which websites can be risky

Read more about Cyber Security Awareness Month >>

1. As to be expected, each September we see a spike in stats.  Service Desk calls are up, wireless traffic is up, and web stats are up.
2. Tapping into the resources offered by the Research Computing Services team, researchers in Systems and Computer Engineering were able cut out 68 days of predicted data processing time.
3. Use an iPhone? Avoid data charges by turning off wifi assist.
4. In addition to the software available on the newly upgraded student lab computers or via Carleton’s Virtual Computer Lab, student can obtain a number of software programs to install on their computers.
5. Thrive Week, a week long series of events focused on building positive mental health for Carleton students, faculty and staff, kicks off October 3.