Office of Information Security

December 21, 2023

Ready for 2024?

Review these tips and stay Cyber Smart all year long!

We want to help you stay Cyber Smart in 2024 with tips for securing connections, devices, and login credentials, as well as ways to spot phishing and scams. Each week in January, we’ll post a new resolution, so stay tuned.

Resolution #1: Secure your connections

Being Cyber Smart means connecting to UW networks and data with secure connections.

  1. Eduroam: When on campus, connect to Wi-Fi with eduroam. Eduroam is a free, encrypted service available to all members of the UW community. In addition to providing an extra layer of security on campus, eduroam allows users from the UW to securely access the Internet from any eduroam-enabled institution. Once configured, eduroam gives seamless connectivity at over 30,000 participating locations around the world.
  2. Husky OnNet: Use a virtual private network (VPN), such as Husky OnNet, when you use your UW account and to access UW data. Husky OnNet is free to all members of the UW community.
  3. Firewalls: Most computers, Macintosh or PC, have a firewall. Firewalls filter certain types of harmful traffic. Firewalls on devices are not always turned on by default, so be sure yours is on.
  4. Home routers: If you don’t know much about your home router, it’s a good time to learn as much as you can.
    • It’s important to change the default name to something unique and to change the default administrator password on the device. Just like with other devices, use a strong password.
    • Use the strongest form of encryption that you can. WPA 2 or 3 is preferable to WEP.
    • Don’t leave your Wi-FI network open for others to use; require a password for users.
    • You can create a guest network so that visitors have their own password, and the guest network can be used for internet of things (IoT) devices as well.
    • Find more information in our Working Remotely online training.