Letter from the CISO, Vol 1 Issue 3 Washington University Community: “Keep Information Security Simple” has been my motto for nearly a decade. This month, I’d like to share an important thing that everyone can do to improve our security—slow down, just a little bit because haste makes good people fall for bad tricks. In the first […]
Tag: Newsletter Volume 1 Issue 3
Get Inside the Hacker Mindset to Create Stronger Passwords
By Harrison Stites. In the last issue of SECURED, Chris Shull, Chief Information Security Officer, wrote about the importance of passwords. Specifically, Chris emphasized using unique and long passwords for each login to prevent hackers from accessing your accounts. However, for most users, remembering long, unique passwords is not feasible. Today, we will describe the tactics […]
Safety Tips for Back to School (Poster/Graphic)
By Harrison Stites. The Office of Information Security wishes everyone a safe and productive return to the classroom. In support of your return, we want to remind you of a few simple but important security strategies that you can use to protect yourself and your data. Back-Up Devices Back up your devices and accounts to prevent […]
Protect Yourself from Misinformation
By Harrison Stites. The internet provides a platform for anyone to share information, and legitimate news must fight through the noise of misinformation to reach readers. Misinformation is false or misleading information created by actors with malicious intent. It is especially dangerous when readers fail to detect its illegitimacy and perpetuate it by sharing it on social […]
Scam of the Month—August 2021
The Office of Information Security has received reports of a SMiShing campaign targeting students at our institution. SMiShing occurs when cybercriminals use tactics common to phishing campaigns in text messages, attempting to communicate legitimacy to the unsuspecting victim. The reported SMiShing attempt is posted below. The message sender is posing as someone in a position […]
Meet Your InfoSec Team: Kevin Hardcastle, WashU Associate CISO
Kevin Hardcastle, a long-time leader in information security has been instrumental in keeping WashU secure. Kevin was first drawn to IT while studying at Missouri State, where he received a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems. He has 36 years of experience in information technology, including 21 years of experience in information security. He began […]