Week 1: October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and we want you to act

October 2024 marks the 21st Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an annual event designed to increase awareness and discussion of cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, and everyone has a role to play in protecting our digital infrastructure. This month, we in CIS will be making a few suggestions regarding low hanging cybersecurity fruit that you can pick.  We will send emails with detailed instructions each week and I hope that you will take a few minutes each week to act on them. 

In addition to our emails, the User Support Team is offering cybersecurity office hours on Friday mornings from 10:30 am to noon.  Drop by the Help Desk in Sprague to get help with any of the practical suggestions we provide or review what you have in place to protect your own data as well as the College’s data.  

And, since it is Friday afternoon already, here is our first cybersecurity action item for you:

What?

Remove the Claremont-ETC network connection from all of your devices that don’t need to use it. You should remove Claremont-ETC from all devices that are not gaming consoles or other devices that cannot authenticate with HMC credentials. 

Why?

Claremont-ETC is a slower and less secure network but if you have it on your device you may not always be aware of when you are connecting to it.

How?

How to forget a Wi-Fi network on iPhone, iPad, or Mac – Apple Support

How to forget a Wi-Fi network in Microsoft Windows 11

And?

Claremont-Guest is available for guests, so they do not need Claremont-ETC either.

Remember, your friends at the CIS helpdesk are always willing to help you get that job done.

Thank you, and enjoy Fall Break!