Wednesday, October 2, 2013

The University of Georgia’s Enterprise Information Technology Services (EITS) will mark National Cyber Security Awareness Month in October with several special activities and events.

“Staying safe online isn’t just a practice for one business, institution, group or person to follow — it’s something that everyone plays a part to secure,” said Brian Rivers, associate CIO for information security at the University.

National Cyber Security Awareness Month was created as a collaborative effort between government and industry to ensure every American has the resources they need to stay safer and more secure online, according to the National Cyber Security Alliance. This year’s theme is “Our Shared Responsibility.”

To celebrate National Cyber Security Awareness Month, EITS will be providing weekly tips to UGA students, faculty and staff on how to protect personal data. EITS will also offer to two special events.

The first is a basic computer security boot camp set for Friday, Oct. 18, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, at Training and Development. The class will cover basic security requirements for UGA and techniques for safer computing and Internet use at home and work.

The class is recommended for people with beginning to immediate computer skills. For more information, contact Laura Heilman at lheilman@uga.edu or 706-542-6267, or Sarah Nutt atsarah@uga.edu or 706-542-3367.

Heilman also provides advice on how to avoid phishing attacks that specifically target mobile devices in a story released for National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

Second, EITS will host its Computer Health and Security Fair on Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 29-30, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Miller Learning Center, second floor lobby.

During the free event, technicians will check the personal laptops of UGA students, faculty and staff for virus and malware removal. Technicians will also ensure that laptops are using the latest and most secure software and plug-ins, while checking for additional problems, such as slow performance.

The University of Georgia has been named a champion of National Cyber Security Awareness Month by the National Cyber Security Alliance. For more information, visit staysafeonline.org.