Daniel Elswit College of Agriculture & Life Sciences IT Security Officer

1. Danger! Internet Ahead! Online security and privacy without a lot of jargon Daniel Elswit College of Agriculture & Life Sciences IT Security Officer

2. Sometimes the only thing standing between you and disaster is your own discretion.

3. Security: Why Should We Care? • State and federal laws • Cornell policy • Cornell’s image • Prospective students • Alumni • Research and academic communities • Clean-up costs in time and dollars

4. “But this doesn’t relate to me!”

5. 60-70% of Cornell faculty and staff harbor highly sensitive data on their computers. FACT:

6. Antivirus programs may not immediately protect against the latest threats. FACT:

7. Software updates may not address all threats in a timely manner. FACT:

8. Firewalls may not protect you from yourself. FACT:

9. Firewalls may not protect you from yourself. FACT:

10. Firewalls may not protect you from yourself. FACT:

11. Bad people want to use your computer. FACT:

12. What do the bad people do? Viruses, worms, and hacking are often associated with, among other things: • Backdoors – secret access to a computer • Botnets – large groups of hacked computers attacking targets en-masse • Keyloggers – all keystrokes are captured

13. Do not install unnecessary software Examples of common software with known security concerns: • Instant Messaging applications • Weatherbug • Web Shots • Gator • Google Desktop • Voice-Over-IP applications

14. Avoiding Email Traps • Red flags: • Requesting personal information • Urgent tone (“Respond within 24 hours or…) • Anonymous salutation (“Dear Valued Customer”) • Asking you to install something by clicking on a link • Verify if unsure • Many companies have verification sites • Contact IT with questions

15. Passwords • An 8-letter password, all lowercase, can be cracked in less than 2 seconds • Cornell’s password policy: • 8 characters long minimum • Must include letters, numbers, symbols • Not a dictionary word • Netid passwords cannot be shared • Change your password if it is not secure!

16. The Internet and Email are Not Private Places • Networks are routinely monitored for good and bad reasons • Most off-campus email (GMail, Yahoo, etc.), instant messaging, web, and ftp traffic can be easily intercepted and read online • If properly configured, messages sent via campus email are private (but not web mail)

18. When is Web Browsing Private?

19. Be Wary of Wireless • “Party line” – everyone hears everything • Easier to eavesdrop on than wired networks • Public wireless (airports, hotels, Starbucks, etc.) should never be considered secure • Most of Red Rover is not secure • CIT’s VPN service provides some security on wireless

20. Computer security has no single solution. FACT:

21. Cornell Policy “Cornell University expects all individuals using information technology devices connected to the Cornell network to take appropriate measures to manage the security of those devices.”