Make Me Admin Provides Additional Layer of Software Security

computer check iconAs long as the Internet has been around, there has always been the risk of either installing software that you probably shouldn’t or cybercriminals forcing software to be installed without your knowledge. The easiest way to prevent these types of installations is to restrict access to administrative privileges on the device. For the past couple of years, OIT has been testing the Make Me Admin application, which disables administrative access to your computer but also allows you to quickly and temporarily have admin access to download essential software or take other administrative actions as needed. After the success of our pilot, we will be deploying Make Me Admin to SMU-owned Windows PCs starting October 30. Continue reading Make Me Admin Provides Additional Layer of Software Security

New Security Awareness Training Coming to Campus

Cybersecurity Wellness ProgramJust in time for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, SMU is changing how we do cybersecurity awareness training. Last year, we launched a unique program focused on cybersecurity habits. Participants opting-in learned how to master cybersecurity habits and built a custom-tailored plan to make security feel easy. The responses from individuals completing the course were overwhelmingly positive.

Based on the award-winning book Well Aware: Master the Nine Cybersecurity Habits to Protect Your Future, the Cybersecurity Wellness Program focuses on Continue reading New Security Awareness Training Coming to Campus

Duo Verified Push Notifications Further Secure SMU Accounts

Cisco Duo Logo (2 color)With malicious actors continuing to get better at exploiting weaknesses in security features, SMU will soon require a Verified Push from Duo Security to increase the protection of our push-based multi-factor authentication (MFA) solution and protect your account from unauthorized access. Continue reading Duo Verified Push Notifications Further Secure SMU Accounts

Fall 2023 Security Report Now Available

Alice in Cyberland badgeIn Lewis Caroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, during the Red Queen’s race, the Red Queen famously states to Alice, “Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!

Our latest OIT Quarterly Security Update edition is now available to the SMU community and is dedicated to Alice in Wonderland because cybersecurity works exactly the same way: we need to Continue reading Fall 2023 Security Report Now Available

New Email Tags Provide Warning for Suspicious Messages

Email warning iconRecently, we updated the spam filters with the Microsoft Defender-based filtering platform. The platform now allows us to add warning labels to unverified messages. So, if you get a message from a new sender or from an email that is not verified, you will get a fair warning. Here are a few examples of the new notices in Outlook. Continue reading New Email Tags Provide Warning for Suspicious Messages