Safely secure

Liberty holds cyber safety seminar

Liberty University held a security awareness seminar Oct. 26 to recognize National Cyber Security Awareness Month. The goal of the seminar was to inform students and the community on how to reduce personal risk of cyber-attacks.

Using precautions and monitoring cyber security is something every computer user should be aware of when accessing the Internet.

“It’s an issue to take seriously,” Mark Shaneck, associate professor of computer sciences and online chair of cyber security, said. “Be careful what you click, what attachments you open and where you enter your credentials.”

Shaneck explained that updating software and turning on automatic updates by default are essential. Most software, such as Windows, will update automatically. These two security tips alone will help protect one’s personal computer.

Everyone has passwords they use on a daily basis. According to Shaneck, users need to create different passwords for each system or website. This is because if one site is hacked, the password is leaked and then all the other accounts with that same password are at risk. Shaneck said a strong password consists of a total of 107 characters, eight random words, 28 random letters or 20 random characters.

“I don’t recommend writing passwords on a separate sheet of paper,” Shaneck said. “Use Password Safe to store passwords. … Never save passwords on a browser.”

Using discretion when surfing the Internet is also very important. Shaneck warned the audience that they must check if the site is a credible website.

“Five years ago I was cyber attacked,” sophomore Minho Kim said. “I think it was because I let my friend use my email and he registered for a website. … Now I use only “https” websites and disable tracking cookies.”

Shaneck explained in his presentation that phishing is a real problem on the Internet today. According to Shaneck, fake websites are easy to create. If a pop-up appears on the computer indicating a prize can be claimed or a trip has been won, it is more than likely a phishing scam.

“I’ve seen phishing emails, but I’ve never been attacked,” senior Janelle Chew said. “I’m aware on the Internet. I guess being in cyber security classes help me to understand threats.”
Shaneck said that when traveling, using open Wi-Fi networks are not a good idea. Also, he cautioned against trusting computers in public settings such as hotels or libraries. Sometimes those computers will have key loggers which save passwords.

“Security is really about risk management,” Shaneck said. “Our security is in the hands of others, like banks and Google.”

According to Shaneck, cyber-attacks are something that can be prevented. Taking proper precautions such as using strong passwords, anti-virus protection and browsers that are safe and up-to-date will help protect against hackers.

FROST is a news reporter.

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