Microsoft Defender to Replace Cylance for Anti-Virus at SMU

Microsoft Defender logoAll SMU Windows computers will transition from using CylancePROTECT to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint as an anti-malware application during the summer of 2023. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is an industry-leading, cloud-powered endpoint security solution that helps to secure against ransomware, file-less malware, and other sophisticated attacks on Windows and macOS devices. Due to technical issues, the deployment for macOS will be scheduled during the upcoming academic year. Continue reading Microsoft Defender to Replace Cylance for Anti-Virus at SMU

Security Incident at City of Dallas

City of Dallas logoWe are tracking a news story about the City of Dallas. Reports indicate that the City of Dallas is experiencing service outages associated with a ransomware attack on its IT systems. We will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that SMU is not impacted, but we’ll need your help to monitor for any suspicious activity. Continue reading Security Incident at City of Dallas

Winter 2023 Security Report Now Available

ChatbotOur latest OIT Quarterly Security Update edition is now available to the SMU community.

This issue focuses on the generative AI everyone is talking about—ChatGPT. We may have heard it mentioned on the news or by colleagues lately, so in this month’s edition, take a deeper dive into ChatGPT with the help of ChatGPT. Most everything written in this month’s newsletter was authored with the help of an AI. You’ll even see the prompts we used to get the AI talking. Continue reading Winter 2023 Security Report Now Available

Protect Yourself: Fighting MFA Fatigue

MFA FatigueLast week, OIT notified the campus of a successful phishing campaign targeting the SMU community. In this campaign, we noted that cybercriminals had begun using a new technique where they repeatedly send Duo requests to users who have shared their username and password to annoy users into approving the two-factor request.

This technique, referred to as “MFA fatigue,” has become increasingly common, and over the next several weeks, OIT will begin implementing measures to combat this trend. In the meantime, we recommend you take the following actions if you notice something suspicious: Continue reading Protect Yourself: Fighting MFA Fatigue