February 25, 2021
The IRS released two notices last week regarding tax season scams. The first, for tax filing professionals, described a phishing scheme in which scammers impersonated the IRS and requested verification of the filer’s Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN) and driver’s license. This information could be used to submit fraudulent returns using the tax professional’s identity….
February 18, 2021
As the University of Washington community has been finding new ways to learn and connect, cyberthieves have been looking for new ways to target UW NetID credentials, as well as personal and financial information. Scams targeting UW students may promise easy jobs, tuition discounts or other rewards. They may try to convince potential victims to…
February 5, 2021
Anti-virus software can help protect PCs, Macs, laptops, and smartphones from various forms of malware, but it must be kept up to date. Running anti-virus on your devices can be an important part of safeguarding your personal and UW institutional data. Members of the UW community can install a free version of Sophos anti-virus for…
January 25, 2021
What is TLS? Communication via the Internet is made possible by data exchanges between properly functioning servers, routers, and other devices. The exchanges between your smartphone and/or computer and those devices are susceptible to eavesdropping at any point in the process. In order to prevent someone from listening in to your Internet activities computers, smartphones,…
December 29, 2020
When it comes to IT purchases, whether it is for hardware, software, or services, the Office of Information Security is often consulted to assist in making informed and empowered decisions and to encourage cross-discipline cooperation in the purchasing process. Our office has now published an IT Sourcing Guide to help members of the UW community…
December 19, 2020
SolarWinds Supply Chain Attack Leads to Dozens of High-Profile Compromises This week it was revealed that malicious updates from a widely used IT solutions vendor, SolarWinds, were leveraged in advanced cyberattacks against high-profile organizations that include the cybersecurity vendor FireEye, the U.S.Departments of Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, and Treasury, the U.S. Postal Service, and the…