Fall 2006

Cyber Security Awareness

Security Top Ten List:

1. Use strong passwords (example: Ilvgr33nhr)
2. Change your passwords often, preferably every 3-6 months
3. Don't share your password with anyone
4. Save work files containing sensitive data on the network
5. Don't email or fax sensitive information (names, birth dates, ssn's, account information, etc)
6. Make sure the operating system is updated on your computer at home. The TCNJ patch management system updates college-owned computers that are connected to the network
7. Use anti-virus software, a firewall and anti-spyware software on your computer at home. Information Technology is responsible for these items for college-owned computers
8. Backup data stored locally on a regular basis
9. Don't open email attachments or click links in email messages if you’re not sure if they’re legitimate
10. Only surf websites you trust

Bring Your Work Home!

Information Technology has many applications available for use at home, including Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, SPSS, and Mathematica. All are available for free, or for a small charge. Please note that technical support is not provided by the Help Desk for home use software, and it should be installed at the user's own risk.

Easy Web Updates with Contribute

Updating office and departmental web pages for the College of New Jersey has become increasingly easier thanks to the use of Macromedia Contribute 3. This program is ideal for users with little or no experience in web programming. Editing text, creating links, adding images, and more can be done in this hybrid web browser/word processing interface.

By using Contribute, the College of New Jersey is able to keep all of its office and departmental web pages updated to facilitate the dissemination of accurate and timely information to faculty, staff, students, and the greater TCNJ community. And, since users only receive access to specific sites, it provides a secure way to access and upload information. Any faculty or staff member interested in using this great tool should send an email to webmaster@tcnj.edu.

Shop and save - New personal purchase opportunities

Thanks to new agreements with Microsoft and Epson, the TCNJ community can now purchase Microsoft software and Epson products at discounted prices.

Identity Theft Prevention

Identity thieves steal credit cards, social security numbers, ATM cards, telephone calling cards, drivers' licenses, and other information that can be used to illegally obtain credit, merchandise, or services.

The NJ Identity Theft Prevention Act was effective January 2006. This legislation set forth requirements that organizations are required to follow in order to reduce the risk of identity theft. It also provides certain rights to consumers whose personal information has been stolen. From an organizational standpoint, we are required to do the following:

• Limit the use of social security numbers
• destroy all records that contain personal information when they are no longer needed (this applies to both hardcopy and electronic records)
• Notify the NJ State Police, the credit reporting agencies, and the affected consumers if there has been a breach of personal information

There are several other things you can do to reduce the risk of identity theft, from a cyber security perspective:

• Do not store personal information on your computer. If you must store this information electronically, use password protection to access these files, and store the files on the network. make sure you remove personal information from the hard drive before disposing of your computer
• Do not transmit personal information via email or fax. Use a shared network folder, or load date to/from a secure website
• Install a firewall, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software on your home computer
• Never respond to 'phishing' emails. These emails request that you provide personal and financial information and appear to be real. Legitimate companies never ask for this information via email
• Do not use the last four digits of your social security number, birth date, mother's maiden name, family member/pet's name, or other information that is easily discoverable when creating passwords and PINs
• Avoid using file-sharing applications, which can expose your computer to hackers, viruses, and worms