Posted: October 12, 2006

This fall the Office of the CIO is spearheading a series of activities to remind the members of the campus community of the importance of guarding their privacy and personal information online (and in the non-virtual world as well).

• In observance of National Cyber Security Awareness Month in October, the Office of the CIO is sponsoring the Third Annual Cybersecurity Day at Ohio State with featured speakers from Microsoft, the FBI, and the corporate world.


• During October, in connection with the national and local observances, Charles Morrow-Jones, director of cybersecurity in the Office of the CIO, penned three editorials on computer safety and privacy for campus media. The October 19 issue of onCampus will run his article addressing the need for protecting confidential data, especially social security numbers on campus. The Lantern student newspaper published his general tips on protecting one's privacy online in the October 9 issue and will run his advice on what to do if one is the victim of identify theft in the October 20 issue.


• The CIO's Stay Safe Online Campaign has been promoting eight messages related to safe online practices throughout the quarter. The CIO's Office distributed fliers and postcards to students at fall orientations and in residence halls and off-campus neighborhoods with the following messages:
  • Say Goodbye to Spam E-mail
  • Be Careful on Web Sites Like Facebook
  • Don't Let Spyware Snoop on You
  • Shop and Bank Online with Caution
  • Always Close/Quit Sessions on Networked and Shared Computers
  • Know that Ohio State is Working to Protect your Identity
  • Take Action if Your Identity Has Been Stolen
  
  A separate flier with four of the most pertinent messages was also mailed to faculty and staff on campus.


• The anti-spam solution on the central e-mail servers is being promoted to faculty, staff, and students in conjunction with new features added by the Office of Information Technology. OIT staff created a new, simplified interface to enable easy adjustments to spam filtering levels and turned on the enhancement automatically for all students (faculty and staff use of the anti-spam service remains voluntary). In addition to decreasing the amount of annoying spam e-mails that reach users' mailboxes, the anti-spam solution provides a first line of defense against phishing and other fraudulent e-mails that attempt to trick recipients into revealing personal and confidential information that could lead to identity theft.


• The CIO's Office updated the articles on the university's Safe Computing web site, added new topics, and redesigned the home page to make all of the articles more readily accessible.


• The quarter-long campaign winds up with a campuswide Shredfest during the week of December 4. The BuckeyeSecure project is sponsoring the event to provide a convenient and secure way for faculty and staff to clear out old files, CDs and DVDS, especially those that contain student social security numbers, grades, and other sensitive information.