The email message below was sent to faculty and staff on the UM-Ann Arbor and UM-Flint campuses on October 1, 2020—the first day of Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Greetings U-M faculty and staff,
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and a reminder that we all have a role to play in securing and protecting IT across the university. In that spirit, we are sharing tools and privacy best practices to help you enhance your IT security while teaching, conducting research, and working remotely.
Enhanced email security
U-M faculty, staff, and students can add an extra layer of security to their already secure U-M Gmail email messages by using Virtru, a Chrome extension that provides end-to-end encryption for email. Virtru lets you see whether the recipient has opened the email, prevent an email from being forwarded, set an expiry date beyond which the email cannot be read, and revoke the ability to read an email after it has been sent.
Visit the Virtru at U-M web page to learn more about the tool or see this printable, one-page handout for helpful tips on when and how to use it. (Note: Michigan Medicine Outlook/Exchange users have a similar capability built into their email system.)
Enhanced protection for your U-M computer
This year, the university is upgrading its existing antivirus/anti-malware software for university-owned computers with an enhanced endpoint protection tool, CrowdStrike Falcon. MiWorkspace computers are already protected by this tool and ITS will be working with schools, colleges, and units to update other university-owned machines this fall. You won't notice anything different in your day-to-day activities, but your computer will be better protected against a variety of threats, including ransomware. Learn more about enhanced endpoint protection at U-M.
Follow best practices
Tips and guidance on everything from IT security when working remotely, to securing videoconferencing, to identifying phishing attempts, to choosing a strong password are on the Safe Computing website. You can find a brief video tour of the site and the many resources it has to offer here: You've Got a Site for That—Safe Computing.
Virtual opportunities to learn more about cybersecurity and privacy are listed on U-M’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2020 web page, which will be updated throughout the month.
We appreciate your partnership in keeping the university safe. Please continue to reach out if you have any questions or if we can assist you in any way. You can contact us directly at our email addresses below, or reach out to the ITS Service Center for support via chat, phone, email, or submitting a help request online.
Kind regards,
Ravi Pendse PhD
Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
University of Michigan
[email protected]
Sol Bermann
Executive Director of Information Assurance and Chief Information Security Officer
University of Michigan
[email protected]