Cyber Security Awareness Month: How to Stay Safe Online

This October, the United States Department of Homeland Security has observed Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This is the 15th year the department has done so, in an effort to make sure people are safe and secure with their information online.

St. Lawrence students are not immune to these threats. Many of us often share personal information with online retailers or other services, which can put us in danger of having our data stolen. Just last month, Chegg announced they had suffered a breach in April that affected nearly 40 million customers. Chegg is a site often used for renting books and many students here and around the country use its services.

Rene Thatcher, Executive Director of Services and Outreach for Libraries and IT, says that now more than ever students should be careful about their online activity. Not sharing too much personal information and using different passwords for each account are just a few simple measures that can be taken to increase personal security.

Thankfully, there are ways to find out if your information has been compromised. Anyone who is worried their data may have been stolen can use sites like haveibeenpwnd.com to see if their information is still secure.

Perhaps the most important things students can do, according to Thatcher, is pause. “There are few things so important that they need to be done at this second,” she says. “Often people fall victim to scams because they are in a hurry and our inclination is to trust and be helpful.”  Taking the time to analyze a situation can make all the difference in ensuring your personal security.

Thatcher says that overall, St. Lawrence has done an excellent job recognizing potentially dangerous situations and avoiding trouble. This, in part, is the result of taking the right precautions. “I think the reason our campus community has been so successful in detecting these scams is in part due to our efforts to promote the life lesson to pause.” In cases like phishing emails, students and faculty are on the frontlines of the fight for personal security and taking the time to pause can make all the difference.

There is more to cybersecurity than preventing hacks and information loss in the present, however. Thatcher believes it is equally as important to prepare ourselves for the possible issues we may face later on. At. St. Lawrence, she says, “we foster an environment of lifelong learning, which includes being prepared for what comes next.”

Thatcher and the rest of SLU’s IT department have worked to create a safety net for the St. Lawrence Community. This past week, they held Cybersecurity Awareness Day in the Student Center. Later this year, the department will be sending out a student technology survey, which will be used to gather information on how students utilize different technologies and hopefully help prepare us all for whatever challenges lie ahead.