Now that Lubbock faculty, staff, and students have returned to school campuses for the fall semester, the TTU IT Division offers some best practices and tips.
Security Tips
- Install and keep antivirus software up to date on your home and office computers. Microsoft (Defender) and Symantec (EPP) are some leading providers of antivirus software. Microsoft Defender is included with Windows 10.
- Ensure your home and office systems are current on critical system updates:
- Be vigilant with all unexpected messages you receive from unknown sources.
- Be suspicious of unsolicited emails, text messages, and phone calls. Use discretion when providing information over the phone, and never provide sensitive personal information via your work or personal email account.
- If you want to verify a suspicious email, contact the organization directly with a known phone number. Do not call the number provided in the email.
- Verify the address of all websites before entering your username or password. Beware of "copy-cat" addresses that attempt to represent legitimate websites such as texastechhousing.com, ttuedu.com, etc.
- Only open an email attachment if you are expecting it and know what it contains. Be cautious about container files, such as .zip files, as malicious content could be packed inside.
- Visit websites by typing the address into the address bar. Do not follow links embedded in an unsolicited email. Additionally, do not follow QR codes from untrusted sites or publications. Cyber criminals will often hide malicious links within QR codes that lead to malware or other harmful sites.
- Exercise caution when posting personal information on social media. Information posted on sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter provide a treasure-trove of data to cyber criminals who can potentially use that information to gain access to your accounts.
The information above was derived in-part from the Center for Internet Security article, "Phishing Emails and You", by Thomas F. Duffy, Chair.
COVID-19 Phishing and Ransomware
Since the news of the Coronavirus gained international attention in early January, we have seen an astronomical amount of phishing, ransomware, and malware emails connected to COVID-19. Please remain vigilant in battling this criminal activity to protect your personal and institutional data. Continue Reading from our Cybersecurity Awareness Program's page.
Online Meeting Security
When meeting online, be sure to practice safe computing and avoid unwanted guests ("Zoombombing"). In order to help you navigate the online learning, teaching, and working experience, we have compiled an overview of information and guidelines.
- Do not publicly post meeting links to social media, unless you intend to invite all those that can read your social media feed; use unique meeting identifiers so that your meeting is only available to those with that code; utilize a waiting room to manage participants joining prior to the host or rejoining after leaving the meeting;
- Limit who can join meetings as a presenter; enable only specific individuals to help co-host the meeting;
- Disable file sharing, if that functionality is not needed;
- Mute participants who do not need to speak; and
- Please note that Zoom has updated Zoom Pro license settings to have the Waiting Room and Meeting Passwords functions on by default. These functions should be used to maintain security of the meeting and prohibit unwanted guests from joining.