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Information Security Tips (Nov 2023) – Protect Personal Online Privacy

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In today’s digital era, protecting your online privacy is more important than ever. Whether you are a student or staff, understanding potential privacy risks and taking proactive steps can help to protect your personal information. Here are some practical tips:

  1. Limit Information Sharing: 
    • Only provide necessary information online or on social media. Avoid sharing sensitive information like ID number or phone number.
  2. Be Cautious while using Public Wi-Fi:
    • Avoid using public Wi-Fi to process personal or sensitive data. If necessary, use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to encrypt the Internet connection.
  3. Review Privacy Settings:
    • Regularly check and update the privacy settings of your social media accounts and other online services to control who can access your information.
  4. Use a Secondary Email Address for Sign-Ups:
    • Use a secondary email address for any online services, subscriptions, and newsletters, in order to avoid spam or promotional emails cluttering the primary mailbox.
  5. Beware of Phishing Scams:
    • Verify sender’s email address and avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments from unknown sources.

By following the above tips, you can significantly enhance your online privacy and protect your personal information from potential threats.

Information Security Tips (Sep 2024) – Protect Personal Data to Avoid Identity Theft

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In today’s digital age, protection of personal data is becoming more important. Identity theft can lead to financial loss, reputational damage, and even legal liability. Therefore, we must take appropriate measures to protect personal data and avoid identity theft. At the same time, it is equally important to protect others’ identities to prevent yourself and others from unnecessary losses and troubles. Here are some effective tips:

  1. Encrypt data and timely erase unused data:
  2. Transmit and share data carefully:
    • Before sending/replying/forwarding an email, please review the recipients’ email addresses, email content, attachments and ensure they are correct. Besides, when you share the data through computer systems, please check if the system permissions are set correctly.
  3. Enable 2FA and use strong passwords:
    • Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and strong passwords, and set different passwords for different accounts.
  4. Update systems and enable anti-virus software:
    • Keep operating systems, browsers, and software updated, enable real-time protection, and regularly scan with anti-virus software.
  5. Be cautious when using public WiFi and computers:
    • Please assume that public WiFi and computers are not secure. Avoid handling personal data or conducting banking transactions when connecting to public networks or using public computers.

Moreover, beware of phishing scams. Not only money, personal data is also one of the targets of the scammers. Please be vigilant.

Information Security Tips (July 2024) – Important Tips for Ensuring Travel Safety

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No matter where we are, cybersecurity is an important issue that cannot be ignored.

Here are some cybersecurity tips:

  1. Update the software on your mobile devices, including antivirus software, as these updates often contain security fixes.
  2. Use strong passwords and avoid using passwords that are easy to guess.
  3. Enable multi-factor authentication services to protect your accounts.
  4. Backup your data completely before travel.
  5. Enable anti-theft and remote data destruction features on your mobile devices.
  6. Disable automatic Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections on your mobile devices.
  7. Be cautious when using public Wi-Fi or public computer, avoid entering passwords or confidential information on these systems.
  8. If you need to access UM internal information through public Wi-Fi, please use a VPN.
  9. Be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to where and how you use your devices.
  10. Protect your mobile devices, never leave them in public places, and enable encryption features, including USB or external storage devices.

Please be reminded that online safety is just as important as physical safety when you are out. Let’s make cybersecurity a habit in your daily lives, stay safe, protect yourself and have a joyful trip!

Information Security Tips (May 2024) – Security Considerations When Using Public AI

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Artificial intelligence (AI) platforms provide users with a variety of powerful tools and services that can help them to accomplish a variety of tasks, from data analysis to machine learning. However, there are some security risks to be aware of when using public AI platforms.

Below are some security tips to protect your data and privacy:

  1. Choose a reputable platform: Choose a platform with good reputation and research its security and compliance record.
  2. Understand the platform’s privacy policy: Read the platform’s privacy policy before using it. Understand how the platform collects, uses and shares your data.
  3. Be careful of what you share: Only share the data you need to complete your tasks. Avoid sharing any sensitive, confidential data, unpublished work information or research results.
  4. Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication: Create strong passwords for your accounts and enable two-factor authentication.
  5. Beware of phishing and scams: Do not click on suspicious links or enter your account information on unverified websites.
  6. Keep your software up to date: Keep your operating system and AI platform software up to date.
  7. Report suspicious activity: If you notice any suspicious activity, report it to the AI platform’s support team immediately.

By following these security tips, you can help protect your data and privacy while using public AI platforms. If you need further information on “AI privacy” and “Data Anonymization Processing”,  you can refer to the relevant information published by the Personal Data Protection Bureau (PDPB): https://www.dspdp.gov.mo/en/references_detail/article/kzw3p0kz.html

Information Security Tips (March 2024) – Advice for Securing a System

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In today’s digital environment, it is very important to ensure the security of your system. By following the below advice, you can significantly enhance the protection of your system and data.

  1. Enable Strong Authentication:  Use strong password and consider other authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security when accessing your system.
  2. Create an SSH Key Pair: Generate and use SSH key pairs for secure remote access. This method provides stronger encryption and authentication compared to traditional password-based authentication.
  3. Keep the System Up to Date: Regularly update your system with the latest security patches and software updates. These updates often address known vulnerabilities and protect against emerging threats.
  4. Remove Unnecessary Software: Minimize the attack surface by uninstalling any unnecessary or unused software. These software may contain vulnerabilities that can be exploited by attackers.
  5. Disable Administrator Login: Disable direct administrator login (e.g., “administrator”, “admin”, ”root”) and enforce the use of individual user accounts. This helps restrict access and mitigates the risk of unauthorized access to critical system resources.
  6. Check and Close Open Ports: Regularly scan your system for open ports and close any unnecessary or unused ports. Open ports can be served as entry points for attackers, so it is vital to limit their availability.
  7. Enable a Firewall: Set up a firewall to control inbound and outbound network traffic. A properly configured firewall can filter malicious traffic and protect your system from unauthorized access.
  8. Harden Your Linux System with SELinux or AppArmor: Implement Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) or AppArmor to enforce strict access controls and limit the impact of an attack on your system.
  9. Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits to identify vulnerabilities, assess system configurations and ensure compliance with security policies and standards.
  10. Regularly Create and Maintain Backups: Regularly back up your critical data to mitigate the impact of system failures, data loss, or ransomware attacks. Test the restoration process periodically to ensure the integrity of backup copies.

Protecting the security of system is an ongoing process. Stay informed about the latest security threats, update your security strategies, and best practices.

Information Security Tips (January 2024) – Do not let yourself to be the next victim of phishing scams

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To: All Users

Online services have become an indispensable part in our daily life, thus making Internet scams more prevalent and widespread, covering a wide range of areas such as shopping, job hunting, investing, charity, lottery, etc. There is a Cantonese saying, “An old trick is fine, as long as it works” implying that many traditional scams are repackaged in new forms and carried out on the Internet or over the phone. The tactics are constantly changing, making it hard for people to protect.

However, all scams have a common goal, whether they are tricking users to give their account numbers, passwords or personal information, the ultimate goal is money. As long as you raise your security awareness and always “fact‑check”, you can reduce the risk of being scammed. Remember the three key principles to prevent fraud:

  1. Stay calm and don’t be flustered: Fraudsters often use threatening words over phone, text messages or emails to cause victims to lose their composure and fall into their trap, especially if they claim themselves to be law enforcement, government or bank officials. Just stop and think! Try to buy time to verify the truth of the matter or consult with family and friends.
  2. Don’t be greedy: Never let the mentality of “Fear of missing out” to blind your judgment. There’s no free lunch in the world. If there’s any promotional sale or investment opportunity, make sure to understand it clearly and verify its authenticity to avoid losing more than you gain.
  3. Never casually disclose personal information: Personal information is equivalent to money. You should not reveal your personal information casually, as it is not just your data that can ultimately be stolen, but your personal identity, which can then be used to defraud money or engage in illegal activities.

Pay more attention to anti-fraud information and naturally raise your anti-fraud awareness, so that you won’t give fraudsters an opportunity to take advantage. The following are some examples of scam messages:

 

Pretending to be an instant messaging software notification, with disturbing words. But one thing to note is that the “w” letter in URL is actually impersonated by two “v” letters.

 

 

Suspicious text messages from strangers. Scammers may use social engineering scams to carry out all kinds of fraud, they will use the tactic of “played the long game” and communicate with the victim for a long time to win their favor, which means to defraud a large amount of money.

 

Compromising verification codes is a common method of hijacking other people’s accounts, including communication software, bank transfers, etc. Verification codes are used for personal identity verification or account operation verification, which is a matter of personal privacy, and should not be disclosed. Actually, using someone else’s phone number for verification is completely unreasonable, and the sender’s account may have been compromised.

Information Security Tips (November 2023) – Protect Your Digital Assets: A Guide for Data Backup

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Important data loss can occur anytime, data backup is an important measure to prevent data loss caused by equipment failure or data damage, ensuring valuable information will not be lost forever. Data backup also provides the last protection for cyberattacks (especially ransomware attacks), allowing you to recover the data and resume daily operations quickly. Proper data backup can also protect sensitive personal and financial information from unauthorized access or disclosure.

Basic Data Backup Practices:

  1. Regular Backup: Schedule regular backup to ensure your data is always up to date. Daily backup is recommended for critical data, weekly or monthly backup may be sufficient for files that are not updated frequently.
  2. Keep Multiple Backup Copies: Store multiple copies of your backup on different storage devices, such as external hard drives, cloud storage, or even physical copies. This redundancy ensures that even if one of the storage media failed, your data can still be preserved. When using cloud storage, please pay attention to the security and data protection settings of the service and consider which data is suitable for storage in the cloud.
  3. Store Storage Devices Properly: Store your backup storage devices properly and away from physical hazards like fire or water. For cloud storage, choose reputable providers with robust security measures.
  4. Test Backup Regularly: Verify the integrity of the backup by testing them regularly to ensure the data can be restored when necessary.
  5. Password Protection: Protect your backup devices by means of a password to prevent unauthorized access. In addition, consider encrypting the backup to increase the security.

Data backup is not a one-off task, but an ongoing process. Through the above basic and effective practices, you can protect your valuable data from being lost and ensure that your personal and work data are protected.

Information Security Tips (October 2023) – Beware of Ransomware Attacks

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Ransomware attacks are one of the most common types of cyber attacks in recent years. Attackers use various network intrusion techniques or methods such as impersonation and fraud to deploy ransomware programs to organizations and users, encrypt the data on the infected computer system, so that the affected systems will not be able to operate normally, and extort money and other economic benefits from the victims. At the same time, some attackers also steal data during the process and threaten victims with disclosure of confidential data to increase the likelihood of the victims compromising.

The following security measures can prevent ransomware attacks:

  1. Beware of phishing and virus emails, do not casually open attachments or web links:
    Attackers will send phishing emails with malicious program attachments or web links. Once you open, your computer system will be infected; 

     

  2. Beware of social engineering, do not trust strangers or people with unverified identities:
    They will impersonate government officials, customer service, bank staff, etc., and induce you to download or install unknown software, or even assist them in carrying out ransomware attacks; 

     

  3. Install antivirus software, turn on real-time protection and monitoring functions:
    Whether the ransomware program is spread via portable data storage devices (such as USB, mobile hard drives, etc.) or emails, the real-time protection function of antivirus software can effectively intercept the ransomware program when it is installed or executed; 

     

  4. Regularly update software, keep antivirus software up to date:
    This can prevent attackers from exploiting existing software vulnerabilities for attacks. At the same time, the latest antivirus software feature database can  detect effectively and intercept suspicious software programs; 

     

  5. Protect your user password, activate multi-factor authentication services and use strong passwords:
    They will use leaked accounts or brute force cracking techniques to remotely log into your computer system and install ransomware programs; 

     

  6. Regularly backup data to ensure that files can be restored from backups:
    Even if data is encrypted, it can be restored from backups, which will reduce the chance of data loss.

Information Security Tips (September 2023) – Beware of Spear Phishing

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  • What is Spear Phishing Attack?

Spear Phishing is a specific type of Phishing Attack that targets individuals or organizations with the intention of deceiving them and gaining unauthorized access to sensitive information. Unlike regular phishing attacks, spear phishing is more personalized and involves tactics such as impersonation, enticing bait, and finding ways to bypass security measures like email filters and antivirus software.

Although general Phishing and Spear Phishing employ similar techniques, there are distinctions between them. General Phishing attacks are typically straightforward, aiming to acquire the victim’s information, such as online banking credentials, to fulfill their objectives. In contrast, spear phishing attacks go beyond simply obtaining login details or personal data. They serve as a gateway for attackers to gain initial entry into the targeted network and act as a stepping stone for subsequent Targeted Attacks

  • How does Spear Phishing Work?

Spear phishing attacks specifically aim at targeting individuals within an organization or institution, including their social media accounts like the organization’s website, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The attackers invest time in creating persuasive email content and may include harmful attachments or links in the emails. When the recipient opens such attachments or clicks on the links, it can trigger the execution of malicious code or redirect the user to a compromised website. This provides an opportunity for the attacker to establish a hidden communication network and advance to the next stage of the attack.

  • How to Prevent Spear Phishing?

To thwart spear phishing attacks, UM employs several layers of protection, empowering system administrators with enhanced visibility and control over the network. This approach minimizes the risk of targeted attacks and mitigates various attack vectors.

Nonetheless, the most pivotal factor in defense lies in the information security awareness of employees and students. By diligently observing spelling mistakes, peculiar language, and other suspicious indicators in emails, individuals can partially shield themselves against spear phishing attacks.

Information Security Tips (August 2023) – Beware of Scammers Exploiting AI Techniques

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Recently, there have been reports of scammers using artificial intelligence (AI) deep fake technique for fraudulent activities, including creating fake news to promote investment schemes or manipulating videos to impersonate celebrities and deceive victims into participation of false investment activities. It is also possible that scammers may use similar techniques to impersonate your friends or family members during video conferences or voice calls for phishing scams.

There are few steps to protect yourself from phishing scams:

  1. Stay vigilant and calm:
    • Keep composure when dealing with urgent requests, especially those involving financial transactions or investment request. Be particularly cautious if someone claiming to be a “friend” requesting money transfer in the video or audio recording.
  2. Verify identities:
    • When it comes to financial transactions or personal information, always verify the identity of the other party. Confirm the identities of the friends, family, or relevant institutions through independent channels and the authenticity of their requests.
  3. Watch for inconsistencies:
    • Attempt to verify the other party’s identity through casual conversation, as scammers may reveal inconsistencies.
  4. Protect personal information:
    • Besides personal data, do not provide biometric data such as facial recognition, fingerprints, or voice samples.
  5. Don’t blindly trust online information:
    • This includes messages labeled as “Fact Checked” or “Confirmed.” If you suspect it to be false information, avoid sharing it and consult the relevant authorities for verification.

Although criminals may change their fraudulent methods from time to time, their goal remains the same: to deceive users into revealing their account credentials, personal information, or money. By staying vigilant and remembering to “Stop and Think! Do Fact Check!”, you can protect yourself from phishing scams.