Cybersecurity Tip of the Month
Restricted data (such as educational records) requires specific authorization and special care.
Training
Current Required Training - Due December 21, 2023 (You may have already completed this quarterly training.)
- Training Video: When Emotions Run High: Phishing Emails
- Interactive Training: Recognize and Avoid Phishing and Generative AI Tools and Phishing Lures
Optional Additional Training - Available until December 31, 2023
- Training Video: Public Data vs. Non-Public Data
- Interactive Training: Classifying and Handling Data
*Required training is for System Office, UIUC, and UIS employees. Optional training is open to all employees. To access required training or optional additional training, please visit https://go.uillinois.edu/securitytraining/.
Handle Data Safely
University employees have access to many different forms of data. And cybercriminals love data; they will often target people based on their access to important information. These attacks can lead to a data breach, which is an incident that exposes confidential or protected information to unauthorized users.
Some breaches are the result of malicious activities, such as phishing messages. However, breaches can also occur because of improper data handling by the people entrusted to look after it.
Your access to different types of data depends on your role and responsibilities. Some data, like Social Security numbers and credit card information, is considered High Risk and is very restricted. Data is categorized as High Risk, Sensitive, Internal, or Public. To access High Risk or Sensitive data, you must have specific authorization. Once you know the data category, also known as its classification, you can use that data in the safest possible way.
What Can You Do?
Learn how data categories affect the way you should handle it. If you’re working with restricted data (for example, Sensitive data like educational records), ask yourself the following questions before copying or sharing it:
- Do I need to copy this data?
- Do I need to share this data with someone else?
- (If yes to the above) Does the person receiving this data have authorization for it?
Visit https://cybersecurity.uillinois.edu/data_classification for more information on data categories and safe data handling.
*To check out additional training about handling data, please visit https://go.uillinois.edu/securitytraining.
Announcements
2024 Privacy Everywhere Conference: Leading with Privacy
Decisions about privacy affect our professional, educational, and personal lives. This free in-person conference with streaming available is on January 26, 2024, at Beckman Institute in Urbana, Illinois. It will cover balancing privacy goals and innovation, data rights, data collection risks, and implementing privacy principles in higher ed, among other topics.
Visit 2024 Privacy Everywhere Conference – Privacy & Cybersecurity to learn about exciting sessions that include privacy regulation in the courts with Irish civil liberties expert Dr. Johnny Ryan, an AI and privacy panel with Christopher Lee from MITRE, and how Uber is protecting privacy.
2024 Cybersecurity Champions Program Signup Available
There is still time to become a member of the 2024 Cybersecurity Champions program and earn prizes and free swag!
No IT experience is required. Team members help promote cybersecurity awareness, model good cyber-safe behavior, and share swag, tips, and ideas with coworkers.
Fill out the sign-up form here: https://go.illinois.edu/2024CybersecurityChampionsSignup
The new team begins January 2024.
Stay safe, stay secure. Contact securitytraining@uillinois.edu with questions or feedback.