Information Security

Mission Statement

The Information Security Office is committed to lowering the risk profile of the University’s electronic information by implementing industry best practices to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of student, faculty, and staff information. We uphold the University’s compliance obligations by developing information security policies, providing security awareness training, and overseeing the implementation of strategic information security initiatives.

Scam of the Week

This Fraud Alert Is a Fake

This week, scammers are targeting Apple Pay users by sending an email that appears to be an official message from Apple. The email warns you that an expensive purchase was made using your Apple Pay account, but that the charge was blocked as being suspicious. It includes a phone number and states that you must call within 24 hours to confirm that the charge is actually fraudulent. If you don’t, Apple will supposedly allow the transaction to be charged to your account.

However, there wasn’t really a suspicious charge to your account. The email you received was sent by scammers who are trying to scare you! If you call the number listed in the email, a cybercriminal will answer. They will pretend to work for Apple Support and will request your Apple ID and personal information so they can “help” you. But if you give them these details, they will use them to gain access to your account!

Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to this phishing scam:

Remember, Apple will not require you to call a phone number to confirm fraudulent activity immediately. You should always be suspicious if you receive an unexpected email that instructs you to act quickly.
Cybercriminals frequently impersonate well-known brands, such as Apple, to try and gain your trust. Always stop and think before you take action, even if the email looks official!
If you have concerns about a purchase, never call a phone number in an email. Go to Apple's official website and contact their customer service team.

Time It Takes a Hacker to Brute Force Your Password in 2025
Hardware: 12 x RTX 5090 | Password hash: bcrypt(10)

Number of Characters	Number Only	Lowercase Letters	Upper and Lower Case Letters	Numbers, Upper and Lowercase Letters	Numbers, Upper and Lowercase Letters, Symbols
4	Instantly	Instantly	Instantly	Instantly	Instantly
5	Instantly	Instantly	57 minutes	2 hours	4 hours
6	Instantly	46 minutes	2 days	6 Days	2 weeks
7	Instantly	20 hours	4 months	1 year	2 years
8	Instantly	3 weeks	15 years	62 years	164 years
9	2 hours	2 years	791 years	3k years	11k years
10	1 day	40 years	41k years	238k years	803k years
11	1 week	1k years	2m years	14m years	56m years
12	3 months	27k years	111m years	917m years	3bn years
13	3 years	705k years	5bn years	56bn years	275bn years
14	28 years	18m years	300bn years	3tn years	19tn years
15	284 years	477m years	15tn years	218tn years	1qd years
16	2k years	12bn years	812tn years	13qd years	94qd years
17	28k years	322bn years	42qd years	840qd years	6qn years
18	284k years	8tn years	2qn years	52qn years	463qn years