Author Archives: Administrator

Cybersecurity Awareness Month – October 23rd Update

As online threats become more sophisticated, it’s important that our knowledge does too. That’s why we want to remind everyone that cyber security doesn’t have to be complicated.  Staying ahead of evolving threats by increasing our knowledge goes hand in hand with building cyber safe habits. It’s often the small actions you take like thinking twice before clicking a link or downloading a file that can help keep you safe in the long run.

We encourage you to get familiar with the signs of phishing,  malware, and AI-powered scams. Specifically, how to identify the signs of a phishing message, suspicious files, downloads, how to report them, and how cyber criminals are using AI to make their scams more believable. 

Your awareness checklist for this message includes:

Phishing

Phishing messages are specifically crafted to look and feel like they are from an organization that you already know and trust – but they are not legitimate e-mails. They are sent by a cyber-criminal trying to gain access to your computer, online accounts, or steal your personal information. Phishing is one of the most common threats you will encounter online. Luckily, phishing message can be easy to spot – if you know what to look for…

Review this presentation for tips on what to look for: The 7 Red Flags of Phishing

Vishing

Vishing is a type of phishing attack that involves scammers using phone calls to trick people into sharing sensitive information. The term is short for “voice phishing”. Scammers may impersonate a bank, credit card company, or other financial institution to gain unauthorized access to accounts. They may claim there is suspicious activity and ask for account details and login credentials.

Here are some common signs of a vishing attack:

The call starts with a pre-recorded message
The call starts with an awkward long pause while the scammer prepares to take the call
The caller creates a sense of urgency
The caller pressures you for answers
The caller asks for sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card numbers
The caller offers you something that is too good to be true
The call is of poor audio quality

Prize Alert  –  What is the 4th Red Flag of Phishing?  Email your answer to cyber-month@flemingcollege.ca for a chance to win a $100 Best Buy Gift Card. This week’s draw closes at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, October 29th.

Anti-virus / Malware Protection

Malware, (short for malicious software), is one of the oldest and best-known cyber threats. A virus is one type of malware. Ransomware falls into this category. Anti-virus (AV) software has been around for decades and is still one of the best ways to protect yourself from ever evolving and sophisticated forms of malware.

Malware can come from many different places. The most common include:

  • Illegal downloads or streams
  • Unofficial app stores
  • Email attachments
  • Suspicious links

Malware can spread from one device to another to steal, damage or delete any data it can access. It can be difficult to spot malware on your device. Here are some signs that your device might be infected with malware:

  • System freezing & crashing
  • Unwanted pop-ups or toolbars
  • Sending out unwanted emails
  • Missing or corrupt files
  • Malfunctioning anti-virus software
  • Unrecognized download or applications installed on your device

Artificial intelligence (AI) generated content

The cyber security landscape continues to evolve with emerging technology trends like artificial intelligence (AI). More and more, cyber criminals are using AI to make it increasingly difficult for people to decipher what is real and what is fake. Knowing how to spot AI generated content is important not only to us at Fleming College, but for Canadians in general.

✅ Learn about: Online Disinformation

REMEMBER

Be careful with attachments – Don’t open files or click links from unknown senders!

Identity theft and protecting your digital identity

Your digital identity is an online record of your personal information. It could include something as simple as your email address or social media account, or more sensitive information like your social insurance number (SIN), passwords and even your financial information.

✅ Protect your Digital Identity

Social Media Safety

For many of us, it has become an everyday practice to share aspects of our personal lives on social media , through pictures of our pets or posting birthday wishes to our loved ones. But just like on other platforms, cyber threats, like phishing scams, exist on social media. It’s important to remain vigilant when connecting with people through social media, whether we know them in real life or not.

✅ Learn how to practice safe social

Did you know?

✅ Job opportunities and postings for on-campus student work are only ever posted to the Evolve Applicant Portal maintained by the Fleming College Human Resources department. Fleming College never sends mass communications about specific job postings. Refer to the Fleming College Career Services page for assistance with student employment at the College or elsewhere.

✅ Grants or bursaries notices will only be sent by our Financial Aid office (FinAid@flemingcollege.ca) or Advancement & External Relations department (alumni@flemingcollege.ca).

✅ You can Report a Security Incident  If you suspect your Fleming account or password has been compromised.

✅ Microsoft Defender Antivirus comes free with Windows 10 & 11, and there is also a paid subscription version available for Mac, iOS and Android devices.

For more information, contact:

IT Service Desk

tdx.flemingcollege.ca

1-866-353-6464 x4111 Option #1

Check Network System Status

Cybersecurity Awareness Month – October 20th Update

As Get Cyber Safe champions, we understand how important it is to start with a strong foundation when it comes to cybersecurity. That’s why we’re talking about securing your accounts and securing your devices to save your future self, time, stress, and even money.

Let’s focus on how strong and secure credentials can make life easier down the road and the importance of protecting all our devices – from phones, tablets and laptops to smart TVs and speakers

✅ Why you should be using a password manager to stay organized

✅ Using a virtual private network (VPN) and securing your network

✅ Learning how to secure your smart devices

✅ Finding the right storage and backup options that works for you

Passwords

All Fleming users are responsible for maintaining the security of their Fleming user account. The primary way to achieve this is to ensure that you have a strong and unique password known only to you.

✅ Fleming partnered with 1Password so you can use a password manager to organize and remember passwords for each account. (The 1Password password manager application is available to all Fleming employees.)

✅ Use a passphrase generator to help get you started.

✅ Learn how you can change your password at Fleming College

MFA

MFA is now mandatory for Fleming users. This was a major step in keeping college accounts, systems and information safe. But there’s more work to do to ensure MFA doesn’t become a barrier to system access when you least expect it.

Add a second MFA method to your profile help ensure you don’t get locked out.  Options include: 1) Microsoft Authenticator 2) SMS text message and 3) physical security keys

Prize Alert  –  Add a second MFA method to your profile and send a screenshot of your My Sign-Ins > Security info page to cyber-month@flemingcollege.ca for a chance to win a $100 Best Buy Gift Card. This week’s draw closes at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, October 26th.

Back-ups & Storage

Whether they’re sensitive work documents or sentimental personal photos, backing up our data is a quick and easy way to make sure we don’t lose the files that matter most to us. In the event of a cyber attack like ransomware, backups are your first line of defence against losing data! Files stored only on your local device are the most at risk. Use the college’s OneDrive service to store the primary or backup copies of your important Fleming files.

 Did you know?

✅ The College has a service that allows you share sensitive information securely with self-destructing links?  Signed, sealed, delivered. Check out Onetime Secret!

✅ On campus desktop computers, (such as those in classrooms, the LRC and library), are exempt from MFA. If you lose access to your MFA method(s), you can come to campus to access your Fleming account as needed.

✅ 1Password can be used to store one-time password codes for shared accounts.

✅ Fleming has a Password and Passphrase Protection Standard (US-101)

The S.C.R.U.B. method will help you maintain good cyber security habits.

✅ Emails from outside of the organization, not from the @flemingcollege.ca email domain, include an “external sender” warning banner:

Information Update: Cybersecurity Awareness Month

When?

The month of October.

Why?

Cybersecurity Awareness Month (or simply Cyber Month) is an internationally recognized campaign held each October to help the public learn more about the importance of cybersecurity. This month is an important opportunity for us all to reflect on how we can protect ourselves, our teams, and our communities online. We at Fleming College are proud to be a Get Cyber Safe champion.

This year’s campaign theme is Get cyber safe – for future you. It’s a reminder that the choices we make now – from using strong passphrases to keeping our devices updated – don’t just protect us in the moment, they make life easier for our future selves, helping us stay secure as the digital world and online threats become more sophisticated.

How?

Stay tuned as the month ahead will include:

  • events and activities
  • tools that can keep you safe online
  • simple steps to start and practice getting cyber safe
  • prizes for participation

Join us in promoting cybersecurity by participating in #CyberMonth2025:

✅ Take the Cyber Fitness Assessment Quiz and be honest. Our goal is to improve your score by the end of the month.
Prize Alert  – Email a screenshot of your completed quiz to cyber-month@flemingcollege.ca for a chance to win a $100 BestBuy Gift Card. This draw closes at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, October 5th.

✅ Did you know? The College has a service that allows you to securely share sensitive information by using a self-destructing link containing text that is only viewable once. Check out Onetime Secret!

✅ Follow @GetCyberSafe on TwitterLinkedInFacebookInstagram and YouTube for the latest tips on cyber security to help you step up your cyber fitness!

ITS is hiring! – Job ID 3258 – Network Support Analyst-Network Services

ITS is looking to hire an additional Network Support Analyst at our Sutherland Campus location.

The Network Support Analyst is responsible for designs, develops, maintains and administers IT systems, applications, network services and associated security for academic and administrative areas at all campuses. Includes:  desktop applications, application server technology, cloud services, Active Directory (AD) & AzureAD, Office365 Administration, single sign-on (SSO) technologies, storage area networks, and data security, network design and implementation)

Provides analysis, network and programming support to the user community and Information Technology Services, maintaining and providing user support for College Information Systems as they relate to ITS services for the enterprise.

Provides point-of-contact functions, which includes, initial contact, issue identification, problem resolution, follow-up and internal communication in ITS.  For on going projects it includes: liaison between ITS and other project staff, communication, documentation, proactive problem identification and resolution until project is complete.

Learn more and apply here: Job ID 3258 – Network Support Analyst-Network Services

Information Update: End of LinkedIn Learning Access

When?

Access to the College’s LinkedIn Learning subscription will end on Sunday, September 21, 2025.

Why?

Due to the conclusion of our current enterprise licensing agreement.

What’s the impact?

The end of Fleming’s LinkedIn Learning access will impact anyone currently using the platform for skills development.

To ensure you retain the value of your learning, please take action as follows:

  • Complete any in-progress courses
  • Download course completion certificates
  • Save personal notes and learning materials
  • Bookmark key external resources for future reference
Please plan ahead to avoid losing access to your learning history and valuable content.

Information Update: 1Password – Minimum Browser Requirements

When?

Starting Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 1Password will enforce new minimum browser version requirements for accessing its web application and browser extension.

Why?

To ensure optimal performance, security, and compatibility, 1Password is updating its browser support policy. This change helps maintain a reliable and secure experience for all users.

What’s the impact?

Users on older versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Brave will no longer be able to access the web app via the 1Password website. Existing browser extensions will continue to function but will not receive updates until the browser is updated to meet the new minimum version.
New Minimum Browser Versions:
  •      Chrome: 128
  •      Firefox: 128
  •      Edge: 128
  •      Brave: 1.69.x

Recommended Action:

To avoid service disruption, please ensure all team members update their browsers before Tuesday, October 14, 2025.