CaTS Blog

Over the last couple of months Wright State has been subject to multiple attempts by external scammers to gain access into student accounts. Due to these incidents, in addition to both the increasing levels of motivation and sophistication of these scammers, we must put additional security measures in place to reduce risk to the entire University and to students.

As a result, beginning January 31, 2022, CaTS will require two-factor authentication for all access to email, WINGS, and WINGS Express. Two-factor authentication is an extra layer of security that requires not only a username and password but also authenticates with a device in your possession (smart phone or key fob/Duo security token).  For those individuals who do not own a smart phone, Duo security tokens can be provided at no cost. To request a security token, please contact the CaTS Help Desk at 937-775-4827.

 Beginning on Monday, January 31, 2022, when entering your username and password to connect to the above resources you will see a screen allowing you to select the second method of authentication you would like to use. Your two-factor authentication options as a student are either a passcode or receiving a Duo push.

Instructions on how to use two-factor authentication can be found at https://www.wright.edu/information-technology/two-factor-authentication#instructions. For more information about two-factor authentication, visit https://www.wright.edu/information-technology/two-factor-authentication. 

We encourage all students to enroll now, before the January deadline.  We apologize for any inconvenience these measures may cause, however the risk this presents to the university requires these steps be taken. If you have any questions, please contact the CaTS Help Desk at 937-775-4827, or email helpdesk@wright.edu.

Welcome to the Fall 2021 edition of the Quarterly Security Reminders email, brought to you by Wright State's Chief Information Security Officer. This quarter's newsletter will provide you with important information about ransomware.

Ransomware: What is it?

The term ransomware has been in the news quite a lot over the past year or so. Many businesses, as well as government agencies and universities, have been significantly impacted by these types of attacks. One notable ransomware attack hit the Colonial Pipeline, which led to its operations being shut down for several days. It has been reported that a ransom of 5 million dollars was paid in order to regain functionality. The federal government recommends not paying such ransoms, but losing access to critical files and systems has left some institutions with no other choice.

Most modern ransomware not only encrypts files on the computer system it infects, it also steals the files and saves them on servers controlled by the perpetrators of the attack. This causes further complications for the university if there is sensitive data contained within the files. This would constitute a data breach resulting in real dollar costs to the university. For instance, this may require us to provide identity theft protection to individuals impacted by the data breach. Additionally, damage to the university's reputation and public image would likely occur.

You might be wondering how you can protect your WSU files and systems against ransomware attacks. There are three key ways to protect yourself:

1. Check to see that you have SentinelOne installed on your WSU -provided computer. SentinelOne provides protection against ransomware attacks by not only providing advanced anti-malware protection, but also by backing up your files to a location the ransomware cannot reach.
2. Store your important files on your H, K, or R drives which are backed up nightly allowing those files to be restored should an attack find a way around our defenses.
3. Remain vigilant against potential phishing emails, as it continues to be the primary method to initiate ransomware attacks against organizations.

SentinelOne

Computer systems distributed by CaTS will have SentinelOne installed at the time the computer is configured for you. Check if SentinelOne is operating on your computer using the steps below:

PC Users: The SentinelOne icon should appear in the hidden icons menu in the bottom righthand corner of your screen.

Mac Uers: The SentinelOne icon should appear in the top righthand corner of your screen.\

Additionally, you can contact the CaTS Help Desk at 937-775-4827 and they can quickly check to determine if the program is installed. 

Due to lack of support by the makers of FileLocker, CaTS will be retiring this application on August 2nd, 2021.  It will be replaced with ProofPoint’s SecureShare.  

Beginning July 5th, 2021 please begin using SecureShare to transfer sensitive documents.  SecureShare can be found here: secureshare.proofpoint.com.  FileLocker will no longer be available after August 2nd, 2021.

Faculty and Staff who have regularly used FileLocker will have an account in SecureShare provisioned for them.  Student workers who have a business need to transfer sensitive information can request an account by submitting the following form: https://bit.ly/3y4pXmj. 

For instructions on how to use SecureShare please visit https://www.wright.edu/information-technology/proofpoint-secureshare.

If you have any questions, please contact the CaTS Help Desk at 937-775-4827, or email helpdesk@wright.edu.

Welcome to the Spring 2021 edition of the Quarterly Security Reminders email, brought to you by Wright State's Chief Information Security Officer. This quarter's newsletter will provide you with information about the proper ways to handle and store sensitive data.

With so many of us working remotely during the Coronavirus pandemic, handling and storing sensitive data, such as social security numbers, student information covered under FERPA, and credit card data, has been a challenge for many of us.  When we do not have easy access to WSU’s network storage (H, K, and R drives) it is very tempting to store data in a convenient location such as Microsoft’s OneDrive or a SharePoint site.  As a reminder that while OneDrive and SharePoint sites are secure, they have not been cleared for the storage of sensitive data.  The type of data mentioned above should only be stored on WSU’s network storage with the exception of credit card data.  Credit card data should never be stored on WSU storage, whether locally on your computer, thumb drive, or on network storage.

Please see the Risk Matrix below:

If you have any questions on the best way to handle sensitive data, contact the CaTS Help Desk at 937-775-4827, or email helpdesk@wright.edu with your questions.
Reference material can be found at the following locations:

University Data Classification and Risk Matrix
https://wrightstate.service-now.com/sp?id=kb_article&sys_id=a207b44c134e57007e89fabed144b0db

HIPAA Regulations: Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information
https://www.wright.edu/sites/www.wright.edu/files/page/attachments/hipaa-regulations.pdf

Student Privacy and Release of Educational Records – FERPA
https://policy.wright.edu/policy/3010-student-privacy-and-release-educational-records-ferpa