Temple Takes On Cyber Security

BY EMANI WASHINGTON

The month of October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month and it is dedicated to helping individuals become more cyber safe. The Computer Services Department will be hosting a series of events all month long in efforts to inform students on what cybersecurity is and how they can be positive influencers of their own cyber identity.

The computer services department will be making students aware of how to stay private online, identity theft, cyberbullying, and so much more.

Often times college students aren’t aware of the scams and fraudulent behavior that may come their way.

Deputy Chief Information Security Officer Seth A. Shestack explained why it is important to be cyber safe and how it has become an increasingly huge issue throughout society today.

“A couple weeks ago, there was an announcement that Equifax, which is one of the clearinghouses for credit issuance was breached with about a third of the American population being exposed to that breach,” Shestack said. “What that means is their personal data, mine included, was exposed outside of Equifax’s private systems. That includes your name, your birthdate, your address, your social security number, possibly what credit cards, or loans that you have. All that information can be used for identity theft criminals, or other types of cybercriminals to use that information to actually make illicit gains.”

Identity theft is a common crime and college-aged students typically between 18-24 years of age are most susceptible to being a victim of it. This is due in part to the lack of knowledge based on cybersecurity and scams.

University of Privacy Officer Leonard Nelson gave a few tips on how individuals can stay private on their social media accounts.

“I think the first and most important thing is just being aware of what you’re putting out on the cloud, whether it’s social media sites or even just information that you may have on your personal sites,” Nelson said. “Privacy is like a tube of toothpaste, once your information is put out, it’s very hard to put back in. Every scam we see today reported to us or just in the news is exploiting people’s trust in humanity. I think it’s very important that you take a second to pause before you decide to share some information.”

The computer services at Temple believes that cybersecurity is not just a good precautionary action but it is a responsibility.

In efforts to keep the spirit of cyber security awareness month going there is a “Tweet a Caption Contest’ where students will be able to win $100-$200 in diamond dollars.

To learn more visit cs.temple.edu/ncsam.