The DUO Two-Factor Authentication upgrade was deployed on November 20, 2023, to enhance and secure WashU systems and applications access. A smartphone or tablet with the Duo Mobile app installed is required to use this new and preferred verified push method of multi-factor authentication. There are circumstances where you might not be able to download […]
To simplify the critical messages you receive about information security at the university, the Office of Information Security is retiring the Secure WUSM Infosec bulletin. Instead, the content will now be published in this newsletter. That means there will be fewer university-wide emails! Additionally, we are folding Secure WUSM itself into the organization-wide CyBear Secure […]
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday behind us, it can be tempting to impulse buy any remaining discounted items. Before getting caught up in a “while supplies last” frenzy, remember that scammers capitalize on hasty decisions involving payment information. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s (IC3) 2022 report, non-payment and non-delivery scams cost people more […]
If You Sent Money to a Scammer Scammers often insist that you pay in ways that make it tough to get your money back. They prefer you wire money through a company like Western Union or MoneyGram, send cryptocurrency, use a payment app, or buy a gift card and give them the redemption code. Regardless of how you lost money to a scam, […]
The Office of Information Security has identified a trend in which criminals send members of our community account termination emails containing a malicious link. They hope a victim will give their WashU credentials in a Google Form. In this scam, hackers use a legitimate WashU email address to send phishing emails. Victims who click the […]
The Washington University in St. Louis Office of Information Security supports education, research, and clinical care by protecting systems and data for everyone at our institution. Information security is essential to every member of our community, and we all share personal responsibility for ensuring the security of our systems. We continuously improve our systems and […]
The Office of Information Security has identified a trend in which criminals send members of our community a Google Document containing a malicious link, in hopes that a victim may give up their credentials. In this more elaborate scam, hackers posed as Adis Avila, who is not an individual who works at our university, sending […]
How this Scam Works Members of the WashU community are being targeted by criminals using malicious QR codes to steal valuable and personal information. The QR codes targeting WashU credentials lead an unsuspecting victim to a fake WUSTL Key login page. If the victim enters any information on the malicious login page, they will unknowingly […]
How this Scam Works Members of the WashU community are receiving fraudulent shared document emails that ask them to divulge their WUSTL Key and credentials in a Google Form. Victims receive a fraudulent email about a shared document from an email address outside of WashU: When a victim clicks the link in the email, they […]
A research protocol is a detailed plan that outlines how a scientific study will be conducted.
Remote access refers to the ability to access a device or a network from any geographic location.
The OIS is always looking for ways to improve your security and reward your participation in our efforts. This month, we want to point you toward a few resources to help you protect yourself from cybercrime and understand how our office can support you. Guidance for Reporting Phishing Have you seen the Phish Alert Button? […]
Welcome back! We know you will be busy as the semester begins, so we have pulled together resources to help you with a variety of common security needs. See below for our roundup of guidance to help you get in the swing of the semester! Devices Device security is essential for protecting your privacy and […]
The Office of Information Security observes a trend in which criminals send a fraudulent order confirmation claiming the recipient will be charged almost $500. The criminals hope victims will call a phone number to refute the “purchase” and disclose their banking information. If you see a message like the one below, please do not interact […]
The OIS is always looking for ways to improve your security and reward your participation in our efforts. This month, we want to point you toward a few resources to help you protect yourself from cybercrime and understand how our office can support you. Guidance for Reporting Phishing Have you seen the Phish Alert Button? […]
The Office of Information Security observes a trend in which criminals use a compromised email account to trick victims into divulging their WUSTL Key password. In this scam, criminals took over a legitimate email address from UT Health San Antonio and used it to send phishing emails. Victims who click on the phishing link are […]
The OIS is always looking for ways to improve your security and reward your participation in our efforts. This month, we want to point you toward a few resources to help you protect yourself from cybercrime and understand how our office can support you. Guidance for Reporting Phishing Have you seen the Phish Alert Button? […]
The Office of Information Security observes a trend in which criminals impersonate the sheriff’s office over the telephone. These scammers claim you signed for a subpoena, are an expert witness, or are a juror and never showed up for court and then demand payment. Along with a false accusation, scammers may list your personal information […]
The OIS is always looking for ways to improve your security and reward your participation in our efforts. This month, we want to point you toward a few resources to help you protect yourself from cybercrime and understand how our office can support you. Guidance for Reporting Phishing Have you seen the Phish Alert Button? […]
If you work with Protected Health Information (PHI), you have probably heard mention of a business associate agreement. At WashU, it is essentially a contract between WashU and a business associate concerning the handling of PHI. Who is a Business Associate? It is a person or entity outside of WashU who creates, receives, maintains, or […]
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is warning the public of a widespread fraud scheme where scammers impersonate DEA agents to extort money or steal personally identifiable information. DEA personnel will never contact members of the public to demand payment or sensitive information. No legitimate federal law enforcement officer will request cash or gift cards from […]
To ensure WashU Office of Information Security policies, guidelines, standards, and procedures are relevant to university practices and government regulatory mandates.
This policy and associated guidance cover a well-defined and organized approach for vulnerability management to reduce infrastructure risks and integrate with patch management. To ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of WashU systems Office of Information Security (OIS) and Information Technology (IT) will develop a documented vulnerability management process for the efficient and effective assessment and mitigation of IT infrastructure risks.
The policy and associated guidance provide direction for authentication to WashU systems and network.
The policy and associated guidance provide requirements for reuse or disposal of WashU systems containing protected or confidential information.
The policy and associated guidance provide a well-defined and organized approach to facilitate access being granted, managed, and reviewed based on the roles of each computer user while remaining compliant with regulatory mandates.
The policy and associated guidance provide a well-defined approach to notify, identify, collect, and retain electronic information relevant to requests from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and General Counsel (OGC) for preservation or collection of electronic information.
The policy and associated guidance provide a well-defined approach to review exception requests for published WashU Information Security policies, standards, and guidelines.
The policy and associated guidance provide the practices WashU will utilize to protect the integrity and confidentiality of information stored, transmitted, transferred to portable media, and sent through messaging systems to entities external to the university.
The policy and associated guidance provides an outline of the physical and logical security controls needed to reduce the risk of unauthorized access or use of systems in a WashU data center.
This policy and associated guidance provide direction for appropriate use of computer systems, networks, and information at WashU.
The policy and associated guidance provide a well-defined and organized approach for access to faculty or staff electronic information or systems at WashU.
The OIS is always looking for ways to improve your security and reward your participation in our efforts. This month, we want to point you to a couple of resources that will help you protect yourself from cybercrime and understand how our office can support you. We’d like to thank our challenge participants. We recently […]
These three fundamental cybersecurity concepts are related but have distinct meanings. Security experts define these three concepts in a variety of ways, and the terms threat and risk are sometimes used interchangeably. This article’s definitions come from paraphrasing Computer Security: Principles and Practice by William Stallings and Lawrie Brown. Each term can be thought of […]
The Office of Information Security has observed a trend in which criminals impersonate Chancellor Andrew Martin 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 […]
How this scam works WashU students are reporting they are receiving fraudulent job offers promising hundreds of dollars per week. The scammer will often ask you to move the conversation to some different, non-WashU messaging platform, like text, before requesting sensitive information like social security numbers, bank account information, etc. What you should do If […]
The OIS is always looking for ways to improve your security and reward your participation in our efforts. This month, we want to point you toward a few resources to help you protect yourself from cybercrime and understand how our office can support you. Guidance for Reporting Phishing Have you seen the Phish Alert Button? […]
The Office of Information Security has observed a trend in which criminals send a fake error message on a website, saying there is a virus on your computer. These fake error messages aim to scare you into calling their “technical support hotline,” and they will likely ask you to install applications that give them remote […]
On Tuesday, March 28, from 8:30 am to 10:30 am, the Office of Sustainability and WashU Office of Information Security are teaming up to bring the WashU community e-waste recycling and confidential paper shredding services. Certified vendors will securely and safely recycle all confidential papers and hard drives. All are welcome to bring accepted items […]
The Office of Information Security is changing how we manage emails sent to infosec@wustl.edu. Starting 2/27/2023, every email that reaches our inbox will automatically be assigned to a ticket in ServiceNow. Tickets are how the rest of WashU IT handles work and requests, and we intend to align with this standard. Apart from solidarity, the […]
The OIS is always looking for ways to improve your security and reward your participation in our efforts. This month, we want to point you toward a few resources to help you protect yourself from cybercrime and understand how our office can support you. Guidance for Reporting Phishing Have you seen the Phish Alert Button? […]
The Office of Information Security observes a trend in which criminals send an email impersonating a Professor of Mathematics, hoping that victims will share their phone number and eventually purchase gift cards for them. If you see a message like the one below, please do not interact with the sender or phone number, and do […]
The OIS is always looking for ways to improve your security and reward your participation in our efforts. This month, we want to point you toward a couple of resources that will help you protect yourself from cybercrime and understand how our office can support you. Guidance for Reporting Phishing Have you seen the Phish […]
The Office of Information Security observes a trend in which criminals send a convincing fraudulent PayPal invoice, hoping that victims will click a malicious link. If you see a message like the one below, please do not interact with the sender or phone number, and do not follow any special instructions. Simply report the email […]
The OIS is always looking for ways to improve your security and reward your participation in our efforts. This month, we want to point you toward a couple of resources that will help you protect yourself from cybercrime and understand how our office can support you. Guidance for Reporting Phishing Have you seen the Phish […]
In the last two months, we covered password-based authentication and token-based authentication. When properly implemented and used, both methods can provide secure user authentication. Still, passwords and tokens each have their shortcomings: Complex—and therefore secure—passwords are hard to remember. A token can be lost. Either can be stolen. Meanwhile, biometric authentication uses personal data that […]
The Office of Information Security observes a trend in which criminals send fraudulent job requests, hoping that victims will click a malicious link. If you see a message like the one below, please do not interact with the sender or phone number, and don’t follow any special instructions. Simply report the email using the Phish Alert […]
The OIS is always looking for ways to improve your security and reward your participation in our efforts. This month, we want to point you to a couple of resources that will help you protect yourself from cybercrime and understand how our office can support you. We’d like to thank our challenge and giveaways participants. […]
With Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday around the corner, it can be tempting to buy discounted items on impulse. Before getting caught up in a “while supplies last” frenzy, remember that scammers capitalize on hasty decisions involving payment information. According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network data, online shopping scams […]
The Office of Information Security has observed a trend where criminals send fraudulent delivery notifications in hopes that victims will scan a QR code. If you see a message like the one below, please do not interact with the sender and do not follow any special instructions. Simply report the email using the Phish Alert […]