Keeping Information Security Simple – Happy Valentine’s Day – You’ve been scammed!
Letter from the CISO, Vol 4 Issue 9 WashU Community: For every season, there is a scam Our theme for February is “Securing information, promoting innovation, supporting tech – IT is a labor of love.” This sets me up nicely to provide dire warnings about romance scams, tax scams, and deepfakes. “Nearly 59,000 Americans lost […]
Chance to Win $100 in Our Monthly Challenge
The Office of Information Security (OIS) is always looking for ways to improve your security and reward your participation in helping to secure WashU. Back by popular request, the InfoSec team is continuing to assign the Inside Man series as our competition this February. The Inside Man is a soap opera-style training that covers critical […]
(Un)encrypted Messaging Under Hacked Telecoms
In October 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported a large cyberattack against U.S. telecommunications companies. The FBI, NSA, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released new guidelines for protecting communications infrastructure in the United States. Despite the government’s efforts, the Chinese hackers continue their hacking of US telecom networks. If the most valuable items on your […]
Scam of the Month: Phish Text “from David Perlmutter”
The Office of Information Security has observed a trend in which criminals impersonate Dean David Perlmutter over text message. Impersonation is one of the most effective social engineering tactics used by scammers, and it can be particularly powerful when the person being impersonated is in a position of authority. If you see a message like […]
Meet Your InfoSec Team: Dana Waddell, Cloud Security Architect
The Office of Information Security (OIS) at WashU has recently grown with the addition of Dana Waddell. As a cloud security architect, Dana will provide cloud security solutions, work with cloud-optimized architectures, contribute to WashU Architecture governance, and support the implementation of secure cloud platforms through cloud architecture documentation. Dana will use her knowledge and […]
What is Full Disk Encryption and why should I care about it?
Did you know that all hard drives and any permanent storage must contain disk encryption if they stored PHI in the past, present or future? Why is this important? Sensitive and/or regulated data on encrypted drives in a computer that is lost, stolen, or improperly disposed of cannot be viewed without a special “key” only available […]
Keeping Information Security Simple – Deceptive Layering and Abuse of QR Codes, DocuSign, and PayPal Accounts
Letter from the CISO, Vol 4 Issue 8 WashU Community: A New Year of Opportunities and Approaches Our theme for January is “Celebrating the New Year – from new tech to new approaches, what’s new?” Unfortunately, while we keep deploying better tools to keep everybody safe and secure, cybercriminals are also developing new tricks and […]
New Year, New Security Habits: Refresh Your Digital Life for 2025
Ringing in 2025 is the perfect time to organize our online lives and reflect on our current cybersecurity habits. With cyber threats constantly evolving, conducting a health check on devices, accounts, and habits is essential. The WashU Awareness, Behavior, and Culture (ABC) team has identified five key areas to help us take the first steps […]
Chance to Win $100 in Our Monthly Challenge
The Office of Information Security (OIS) is always looking for ways to improve your security and reward your participation in helping to secure WashU. Back by popular request, the InfoSec team is continuing to assign the Inside Man series as our competition this January. The Inside Man is a soap opera-style training that covers critical […]
Scam of the Month: Class Action Lawsuits
According to the Duane Morris Class Action Review 2025, class action lawsuits “broke the $40 billion mark for the third year in a row.” Large companies like Apple, Meta, and Disney each found themselves paying millions in settlements. Whether the payments are big or small, how should you react to a settlement notice? The notices […]
Meet Your InfoSec Team: Nate Tate, Information Security Analyst
Nate Tate, information security analyst, is a valued member of the InfoSec team at WashU. In his role, he performs third-party risk assessments and manages all matters related to policy exceptions. His work is integral to maintaining the university’s strong security posture and ensuring compliance across our various domains. Nate’s favorite part of his job […]
Information Security Policy Library Update
The Office of Information Security (OIS) recently completed a major revision and expansion of the OIS policy and standards library. The goal of the project is to foster a strong security culture at WashU through clear and comprehensive coverage of all recommendations in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF). All […]
Microsoft Outlook External Email Banner
WashU IT will introduce an external email banner for Microsoft Outlook to boost security and prevent account compromises by highlighting emails from outside the university. The external email banner will go into production on February 8th, with changes visible within 48 hours. This update affects Microsoft Outlook on Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, and Web. Other […]
PatchMyPC
To enhance our computing environment security, WashU IT has implemented a streamlined strategy for Windows software updates for third-party software. Each month, alongside Microsoft’s security updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11, WashU IT will also update other installed applications such as Chrome, Firefox, and Zoom. This method aims to reduce security vulnerabilities found in […]
Keeping Information Security Simple – Winter Break Cyber Security Mission
Letter from the CISO, Vol 4 Issue 7 WashU Community: Your mission for the holidays… The Mission Impossible TV series and movies often begin with “Your mission, should you choose to accept it…” As we approach the winter break and holidays, I propose you accept the mission of helping your family and friends improve their […]