New Year, New Security Habits: Refresh Your Digital Life for 2025 

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 

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 

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 

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

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 […]

Chance to Win $100 in Our Monthly Challenge 

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 December. The Inside Man is a soap opera-style training that covers critical […]

Home for the Holidays? Five Tips for Remote Work and Study

Home for the Holidays? Five Tips for Remote Work and Study
The holiday season can be a whirlwind of activity—travel, holiday events, and, for WashU students, wrapping up final exams. Amid the hustle and bustle, many in the WashU Community find themselves working or studying outside their typical environments. To help you stay secure while enjoying the season’s festivities, WashU’s Awareness, Behavior, and Culture (ABC) team […]

Scam of the Month: Holiday Scams 

Scam of the Month: Holiday Scams 
The Federal Bureau of Investigation warns the public about scams during the holidays. The big four scams of the season are:  According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s (IC3) 2023 report, non-payment and non-delivery scams cost people over $281 million that year. Credit card fraud accounted for another $264 million in losses.  Click with caution Don’t click any suspicious links […]

Elect to Receive Your Tax Documents Electronically 

Elect to Receive Your Tax Documents Electronically 
Provide consent to receive electronic delivery of your tax documents by December 31, 2024. This will allow you to receive your W-2 form online as soon as it is available in Workday. You will be notified by email in January when your electronic W-2 form is available. Manage printing elections of your tax forms in Workday and refer to […]

7.6 million reasons to not share logins or passwords 

7.6 million reasons to not share logins or passwords 
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) recently agreed to pay $7,600,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by submitting to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) federal grant applications and progress reports in which CCF failed to disclose that a key employee involved in administering the grants had pending and/or active […]