Please join us for the seminar "Using GIS to Uncover the Secrets of Your Data," presented by Chris Castiglione, GIS coordinator and fish and wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Lower Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office, on Monday, February 27, from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center E2. All students, staff, and faculty are welcome. This event is sponsored by the Great Lakes Center, the Biology Department, and the Great Lakes ecosystem science program.

To assist faculty members with finding, using, and developing open educational resources (OER), Butler Library and Instructional Design and Training have created an Understanding OER workshop series. The series begins today, February 16, with An Introduction to OER and Creative Commons, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Butler Library 314.

The series continues with Creating and Sharing OER (February 23) and Locating, Evaluating, and Incorporating OER (March 2). Attend all workshops to earn an ALMI OER Champion certificate. For more information or to register, please see the Open Educational Resources workshops in the Workshop Registration System.

Nominate your student as the “Student Employee of the Year” at Buffalo State. The SEOTY Award recognizes the hard work, dedication, and accomplishments of students who work while attending college. To be considered, work-study students and student assistants must meet the following criteria:

• Undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in a degree program at Buffalo State
• Employed a minimum of three months full time or six months part time from June 1, 2016, to May 31, 2017 (anticipated)

Nomination letters must be submitted electronically. Nominees are evaluated on initiative, quality of work, reliability, contribution to the employer, and disposition. Nomination forms can be found under the Events section of the Career Development website.

Please contact Jenell Spitale, student employment coordinator and career counselor, 878-5811, with questions.

In its 2017 Data Breach Digest (PDF, 174 KB), Verizon disclosed an incident about a university network attack that used the university’s own IoT devices against it. In this case, attackers took control of poorly secured IoT devices and directed them to identify and change existing passwords.

Remember, IoT devices are physical devices that connect to a network. They are part of "smart" homes and buildings and include devices like Fitbits, cell phones, iPods, and smart thermostats, security systems, door locks, refrigerators, and lights. All these IoT devices use electronics that make them capable of connecting to a network, giving and receiving information. IoT devices are scalable to companies, universities, municipalities, and government infrastructure.

Please read the Verizon article (PDF, 174 KB) to learn more about the evolution of IoT and the key lessons from this breach.

When phishing doesn’t work, what is a fiendish-minded person to do? Spear-phishing, that’s what.

How does spear-phishing differ from the regular run-of-the-mill phishing technique? Instead of sending a general note, the spear-phisher takes a little time to get to know you, and then personalizes his or her e-mail to you. The spear-phisher knows your name, and addresses the e-mail to you. The spear-phisher knows your e-mail address and something about you to draw you in. The spear-phisher might use the name of a mutual friend, or refer to a recent purchase you’ve made, or ask for a service you provide. The spear-phisher uses your web presence against you. Below are three examples.

How-To Geek

Andersen Air Force Base

Oxen

A reminder to academic departments and student programs: Student award listings for print in the Commencement booklet are due soon. The deadline has been extended to Friday, March 10. The booklet will be distributed at each of the three ceremonies on Saturday, May 13, and will be posted on the Commencement website. Undergraduate and graduate departments and programs, please use the new online submission form that is located on the Faculty and Staff section of the website. Please also see the Student Awards Guidelines for eligible students and other details.

Thank you for recognizing the outstanding achievements of the Class of 2017.

According to the Anti Phishing Working Group (APWG), mobile devices are just as vulnerable as your desktop computer. Keep your mobile phone and the apps you use up to date. Delete the apps you don't use.

Did you download an app to use for your vacation and don’t use it anymore? Did you download a game you no longer play? If so, delete them now.

Keeping software up to date and removing software you no longer use is the best defense against viruses, malware, and other threats.

You may not be aware that your browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome, Firefox) collects and stores a history of where you’ve traveled on the web. A lot can be learned about you from this history. Think about what might be learned about you from your browsing history: where you work, where your kids go to school, in which activities you participate, your friends, where you bank, what you buy, your interests, your children’s interests, and more. Never underestimate a marketer’s or scammer’s ability to undermine you. Regularly clear your browser. Contact the RITE Support Desk if you need help.

Since the year 2000, the second Monday in February has been designated National Clean Out Your Computer Day. Why is this important? Certainly the more files (information) and programs you have stored, the greater the burden placed on your computer’s processing performance. Yet, there is another reality of which to be aware.

The more personal and private data stored on your computer, the greater the risk of a breach. Do you have student information on your computer? Student exams? E-receipts from purchases? Think. Could you have information from years passed? It’s important to think about this and to keep accessible only what is needed. If you don’t need it now, upload it to your network drive and remove it from your computer. If you won’t ever need it again, delete it.

Kaspersky Labs reported that more phishing attacks (PDF, 514 KB) were recorded in the first quarter of 2016 than in any other three-month span since the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) began tracking data in 2004. Approximately 48 percent of phishing attacks registered by their own software were targeted on the end-users' financial data. In one quarter, 319,692 users worldwide were targeted with attacks using financial malware.

Know when you are being phished. If you know—or even think—you are being phished, report it to the RITE Support Desk immediately.