Many faculty and staff work remotely or a hybrid schedule to provide the high-quality services and resources ECU is known to deliver. We want to ensure that all in the Pirate community are aware of effective ways to work safely and securely in both an on-campus or remote environment.
The ITCS website shares detailed information security guidance we can all use to better protect ourselves in the virtual world.
The ITCS Service Catalog and IT Knowledge Base share detailed information security guidance we can all use to better protect ourselves in the virtual world.
Protecting your university-owned computer
- ECU currently uses Windows and Mac system-management tools to automatically install updates and patches on your computer. You may see pop-up windows from them while they’re applying an update or patch; occasionally, a restart will be necessary to complete the operation.
- Keep your software up-to-date to ensure ITCS can fully support you and to protect from security vulnerabilities. App updates are found in the Company Portal; some apps will update automatically through Patch My PC; manual checks are required for your personal computer. View a listing of ECU-supported software.
- Be sure to screen lock your computer when not in use and never share your ECU credentials.
- Quickly report if your university-owned laptop is stolen, you unintentionally responded to a phishing email and believe your account is compromised, or you think a secure university system has been breached. To report any security concerns, call the IT Service Desk at 252-328-9866 or 800-340-7081.
Safeguarding sensitive information
- ECU has developed several data governance policies and standards to ensure we comply with state, federal and international rules, and regulations.
- Know what information can be stored where. ECU users are responsible for the protection of any sensitive data in their custody. This includes electronic, print, voice or any other form in which the data is captured.
- Piratedrive network storage is password-protected, secure and backed up nightly. OneDrive cloud storage is the ONLY approved cloud storage for saving files at ECU.
Using email safely and responsibly
- Enable and use multifactor authentication for your ECU email.
- Any emails containing sensitive information sent to recipients outside the ECU network are required to be encrypted.
- Don’t respond to any suspicious or urgent messages requesting that you click a link, send money or share sensitive information. If you receive a suspected malicious (phishing) email, report it through the Report option in your Outlook menu (then delete) or report a security concern to ITCS. We will analyze the email, and if it's malicious, remove it from all users' mailboxes. See this article on how to recognize phishing email from the Federal Trade Commission.
Using ECU's virtual private network (VPN)
- When you are not connected directly to the campus network, log in to the VPN (Virtual Private Network). The VPN creates a “tunnel” between your computer and the campus network to identify you as a member of the ECU community. This will allow you secure access to restricted networked resources.
- Working through the VPN is only necessary when connecting to a few ECU services that REQUIRE it, like Banner administrator pages, or if you are connecting to ECU services using a public or unsecured internet connection. Checking email, retrieving files from OneDrive, streaming anything or meeting online does not require a VPN connection.
Virtual conferencing
- ECU supports Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex for virtual conferencing. Review conferencing features to determine which best suit your needs.
- Be sure you don’t have personal or sensitive information visible when sharing your computer screen or when your camera is enabled.
- If you record a meeting, make sure all participants know they are being recorded. The software should indicate this, but it’s good practice to tell them, too.
Securing your home Wi-Fi network
- The most effective steps you can take to secure your wireless network at home is to set a strong network and router administrator password and enable WPA2 encryption on your router.
- Allow only people you trust to connect to your wireless network.
- Keep your router up to date. To make sure you hear about the latest version, register your router with the manufacturer, and sign up to get updates.
More information
Do you have any questions or would you like more information on the topics and resources covered in this newsletter? Visit the web pages below or contact Pirate Techs at (local) 252-328-9866 or (toll free) 800-340-7081.