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
✅ The benefits of enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA)
✅ How to protect your social media accounts
✅ 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
✅ Securely connecting to public Wi-Fi
✅ How to set up your private network
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: