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

Cloud-y with a Chance of Fraud

You open your inbox and are startled to see what looks like an official email from Apple that says your iCloud storage is full. It says that if you do not upgrade your storage plan within the next two days, your photographs and files will be permanently deleted. Luckily, the cost to upgrade is very low, but you’ll need to act quickly to save your data.

But this email is actually a phishing scam! Cybercriminals send these fake iCloud storage warnings to rush you into making a quick decision before you have time to think. If you select the link, you’ll be taken to a fake webpage and asked to enter your card information to “upgrade your storage.” But if you do, cybercriminals will steal your financial information!

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

Never select links in unexpected emails about your account or storage. Always go directly to your device's settings to check your storage plan.
If an email claims you need to act immediately to protect your account, treat it as a red flag. Cybercriminals often use a sense of urgency to trick you into making quick decisions.
If you receive a suspicious email, be sure to follow your organization’s policies for reporting it!

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