Category: Security Awareness

Adobe Creative Cloud Security Breach Affects 7 Million

Adobe Creative CloudWe’d like to make you aware of a recent report of a security breach that occurred on one of Adobe’s Creative Cloud servers.

Security researchers recently found a publicly available server that was not password protected that contained some customer information. Adobe has responded to this report by securing the server in question and providing more information as to what was exposed. The information revealed was as follows:

  • Email addresses
  • Account creation date
  • Which Adobe products they use
  • Subscription status
  • Whether the user is an Adobe employee
  • Member IDs
  • Country
  • Time since last login
  • Payment status

Adobe has also made clear that no payment information or passwords were revealed. So, what does this mean for us at SMU since we are users of Adobe Creative Cloud? Thankfully, not much! This breach did not affect any SMU computers with Adobe software.

We must always remain vigilant in our modern world of security breaches. With the information that was exposed, there is always a possibility that the info could be used for phishing campaigns. Always be on the lookout and let the IT Help Desk know if you receive any suspicious messages!

Popular Linux Utility Security Flaw Found, Patched

Tux, the Linux mascotWe’re about halfway through Security Awareness Month, and we have another security vulnerability to report for Linux users.

The Hacker News recently reported a flaw that was discovered in the “sudo” utility, which is installed on most popular Linux distributions and allows administrators of a computer to run commands as the root user without changing desktop sessions. The flaw in question could allow a hacker to bypass security policies in place on the computer to run commands without proper authorization.

It has also been reported that this vulnerability is really only possible in very specific configurations. However, it is still essential to stay on top of these reports and to install security updates on your computer as soon as possible. This writer has checked two Linux devices – one running Ubuntu and the other running Linux Mint – and a patched version of sudo was already available for installation, so most Debian-based flavors of Linux should now have the update available.

If you are concerned about your Linux PC being affected, simply run your distribution’s default package manager’s update function (here’s info on Ubuntu and Fedora as examples) to see if a patch is ready!

Email Phishing Simulations to Come Back this Fall

AnitPhish (Anti-Phishing Campaign)Phishing attempts – email messages sent by hackers pretending to be your friends, coworkers, or trusted companies – have wreaked havoc across the Internet for years. These messages try to lure you into revealing personal info like passwords and financial information, and their alarmist tone can be deceiving.

Over the past few years, SMU has worked to make people more aware of these phishing attempts by sending simulated phishing emails. For those falling victim to the phishing attempts Continue reading Email Phishing Simulations to Come Back this Fall

Fall 2019 OIT Security Update Now Available

OIT Security Report (Fall 2019) cover
Did you know October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM)?

Our Fall 2019 edition of the OIT Security Report is now available to the SMU community and in this edition, we focus on travel and cybersecurity. Find out the ups and downs of staying in a personal vacation rental property, how to be smart about internet access while traveling, plus learn more about the TSA’S new driver’s license requirement, and staying cyber-safe internationally. Also, Ms. Security is back to answer your questions about some recent data breaches.

To access the report, click the link below.

View Report

Authenticating to Box@SMU is required before viewing or downloading the report.
This report is confidential and not intended for distribution outside the University.