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
Your Password Is Their Prize
In this week’s scam, cybercriminals are trying to steal your X (formerly Twitter) login information. They send you an email claiming that someone tried to log into your account from a new device, and you must log into X immediately to verify your account. In another version of this scam, you might receive a different email claiming your account violated copyright laws and that you must submit an appeal.
Both of these emails direct you to click a link to verify your account, which takes you to what appears to be an X login or password reset page. But these pages are actually fake and controlled by cybercriminals trying to trick you into entering your user credentials. If you enter your login information, they will steal it. Then, they can access your account and use it to post links to crypto or financial scams. The cybercriminals will steal your login details and use your account to scam other X users!
Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to a phishing scam:
- If possible, enable two-factor authentication, or 2FA, for your online accounts. 2FA is more secure because it requires two forms of identification to log in to your account.
- Always hover over links in emails to see if they’re legitimate. If you must reset your password, always navigate to the official X website or mobile app.
- Be suspicious of any urgent requests. Cybercriminals often pressure you to act fast to trick you into falling for their scams.
Time It Takes a Hacker to Brute Force Your Password in 2023
| 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 | Instantly | Instantly | Instantly |
| 6 | Instantly | Instantly | Instantly | Instantly | Instantly |
| 7 | Instantly | Instantly | Instantly | Instantly | Instantly |
| 8 | Instantly | Instantly | Instantly | Instantly | 1 sec |
| 9 | Instantly | Instantly | 4 secs | 21 secs | 1 min |
| 10 | Instantly | Instantly | 4 mins | 22 mins | 1 hour |
| 11 | Instantly | 6 secs | 3 hours | 22 hours | 4 days |
| 12 | Instantly | 2 mins | 7 days | 2 months | 8 months |
| 13 | Instantly | 1 hour | 12 months | 10 years | 47 years |
| 14 | Instantly | 1 day | 52 years | 608 years | 3k years |
| 15 | 2 secs | 4 weeks | 2k years | 37k years | 232k years |
| 16 | 15 secs | 2 years | 140k years | 2m years | 16m years |
| 17 | 3 mins | 56 years | 7m years | 144m years | 1bn years |
| 18 | 26 mins | 1k years | 378m years | 8bn years | 79bn years |
Phishing Click Rates Triple in 2024
The Most Dangerous Pop Culture Passwords in 2024
FBI Fraud Alert
Cyber Security Alerts
What is being exploited?
Vulnerability in Windows CryptoAPI that allows malicious executables using a spoofed
code-signing certificate to appear as if it was from a trusted source.
What does this affect?
Attackers can conduct man-in-the-middle attacks and decrypt confidential information
on user connections to spoofed software that appears legitimate.
Which Operating Systems does this affect?
Windows 10, Windows Server 2016, and Windows Server 2019
How to mitigate this?
Apply critical patches to affected systems as soon as possible.
For more information:
CVE-2020-0601
What is being exploited?
Vulnerability in Windows Remote Desktop Gateway (RD Gateway) that allows specially
crafted requests to execute arbitrary code on the target system.
What does this affect?
Attackers can gain access to the target system with full user rights that would allow
them to install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new users.
Which Operating Systems does this affect?
Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2016, and Windows Server 2019
How to mitigate this?
Apply critical patches to affected systems as soon as possible.
For more information:
CVE-2020-0609 & CVE-2020-0610
What is being exploited?
Vulnerability in Windows Remote Desktop Client that allows the server to execute arbitrary
code on the target system after an unsuspecting user connects to it.
What does this affect?
Attackers can trick the user into connecting to a compromised server and gain access
to the target system with full user rights that would allow them to install programs;
view, change, or delete data; or create new users.
Which Operating Systems does this affect?
Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows RT, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server
2012, Windows Server 2016, and Windows Server 2019
How to mitigate this?
Apply critical patches to affected systems as soon as possible.
For more information:
CVE-2020-0611
Windows 10 & Windows Server 2016 and newer
1. Search: Check for Updates
2. Click “Check for Updates” then install all updates
Windows 8 and older & Windows Server 2012 and older
1. Navigate: Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Update
2. Click “Check for Updates” then install all updates