Ellie Kahn
Features Editor
While the past few de- cades have seen an increase in technological development — drastically improving the health, mobility and commu- nication of millions — this advancement has also led to heightened concern surround- ing privacy and digital safety. In an effort to mitigate poten- tial cyber threats and com- promised data, National Cy- bersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) was established, an initiative co-led by the Cyber- security and Infrastructure Se- curity Agency (CISA) and the National Cyber Security Alli- ance (NCSA).
Now in its 16th year, NC- SAM takes place across the country every October; The College of Wooster has been participating by offering work- shops and informational posts about online safety, courtesy of the Educational and Emerg-
ing Technology department. Thethemeofthisyear’sNa- tional Cybersecurity Aware- ness Month is “Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT.” Kevin Cole- man, NCSA’s executive direc- tor, writes that “this simple message encourages consum- ers to understand the devices and applications they use every day, secure their digital profile and protect it by familiarizing themselves with privacy set- tings to help safeguard their privacy and limit cybercrimes. As cybercriminals become more sophisticated, it’s impor- tant to remember [the] tried- and-true methods for protect-
ing oneself online.” Cybersecurity extends far
beyond ensuring the privacy of your email account. Ac- cording to Jon Breitenbucher, director of educational and emerging technology at the College, “anything connected to the Internet is vulnerable to attack. This means that your Internet-connected TV, Xbox,
thermostat, doorbell, etc. are allpossibletargets.”Headds that it is critical to “always make sure that your devices’ software is up to date.”
Salim Dohri ’21 serves as a technology assistant at the College, assisting students, faculty and staff members with the technology they use on a daily basis. He hosted a workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 22 titled “Cybersecurity Aware- ness,” offering students the opportunity to “learn how to keep the bad guys from your devices and accounts.”
Dohri reflects that his “cy- bersecurity awareness work- shop went well. I tried to give the attendees a holistic view of cybersecurity and help them stay safe online. The main take-away was that using a password manager, having anti-virus software and being careful when clicking links can protect you from almost all threats online.”
In addition to the workshop offered by Dohri, there are a number of resources available for Wooster students struggling with cybersecurity issues. Field Service Coordinator Joel Bosler-Kilmer emphasizes that “students who believe they have some sort of malware infection can get help through the help- desk in the library. Students can also visit [IT] on the fourth floor of Morgan Hall where we can assist them with manually removing viruses and malware. We can help them download and install anti-virus or anti-
malware software, and set up scans to regularly keep them protected. If the infections are too bad, we can also help with a data back-up, wiping and re- installing a clean copy of their operating system.”
Bosler-Kilmer adds that “in addition, we also have secu- rity in place to watch out for impossible travel and receive spamming notifications. Many times we can tell someone that their credentials have been compromised before they even know it.”