Information Security

Mission Statement

The Information Security Office is committed to lowering the risk profile of the University’s electronic information by implementing industry best practices to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of student, faculty, and staff information. We uphold the University’s compliance obligations by developing information security policies, providing security awareness training, and overseeing the implementation of strategic information security initiatives.

Scam of the Week

Genuine Alert, Fake Emergency

In this week's scam, cybercriminals are using fake purchase alerts to target Apple users. You receive what appears to be a genuine Apple email that says, "Your Apple Account information has been updated." It states that someone used your account to purchase an iPhone and includes a phone number to call to cancel the order. Since you didn't authorize this purchase, you may be tempted to call the number immediately.

If you call the number in the email, you'll be connected to a "support person" who will tell you that your account has been compromised. But this email is a phishing scam, and the “support person” is actually a cybercriminal! They'll ask you to provide your financial information so that they can fix the problem, or they may ask you to install software that will allow them to access your device. They can then use that information or software to steal your money or personal data!

Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to this phishing scam:

If you receive an unexpected email claiming that someone used your Apple account to make a purchase, do not call any phone number listed in the email. Instead, go directly to Apple's official website or open the Settings app on your device to check your account activity.
Read emails carefully, even if they seem to come from a legitimate source. Unusual formatting or grammatical errors can be warning signs of a phishing email.
Always stop and think before you act! Cybercriminals often create a sense of urgency to try and pressure you into making fast decisions.

Time It Takes a Hacker to Brute Force Your Password in 2025
Hardware: 12 x RTX 5090 | Password hash: bcrypt(10)

Number of Characters	Number Only	Lowercase Letters	Upper and Lower Case Letters	Numbers, Upper and Lowercase Letters	Numbers, Upper and Lowercase Letters, Symbols
4	Instantly	Instantly	Instantly	Instantly	Instantly
5	Instantly	Instantly	57 minutes	2 hours	4 hours
6	Instantly	46 minutes	2 days	6 Days	2 weeks
7	Instantly	20 hours	4 months	1 year	2 years
8	Instantly	3 weeks	15 years	62 years	164 years
9	2 hours	2 years	791 years	3k years	11k years
10	1 day	40 years	41k years	238k years	803k years
11	1 week	1k years	2m years	14m years	56m years
12	3 months	27k years	111m years	917m years	3bn years
13	3 years	705k years	5bn years	56bn years	275bn years
14	28 years	18m years	300bn years	3tn years	19tn years
15	284 years	477m years	15tn years	218tn years	1qd years
16	2k years	12bn years	812tn years	13qd years	94qd years
17	28k years	322bn years	42qd years	840qd years	6qn years
18	284k years	8tn years	2qn years	52qn years	463qn years