Trapped in the Web!

Trapped in the Web! — features two expert solo presentations and one panel discussion.

Led by Marty Manjak, UAlbany’s information security officer, the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) has created three events in the next three weeks to educate the campus community about the wide range of security pitfalls associated with the growing presence of digital technologies in our homes, workplaces, and our social and professional interactions.

The series — entitled Trapped in the Web! — features two expert solo presentations and one panel discussion that will demonstrate how the convergence of multiple technologies that collect, share, modify, and arbitrate information involving our personal and professional activities can result in unanticipated risks. These threats will be illustrated with real world situations and practical solutions to increase audience awareness and promote best practices for reducing individual risk.

All Trapped in the Web! events are free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served. The schedule is:

• Your Data Held Hostage, Thursday, Oct. 13, noon to 1 p.m., Oct. 13, Campus Center Assembly Hall. The University’s Information Security Officer, Marty Manjak, exposes the workings of ransomware, the number 1 threat to individual users and organizations. This malicious software encrypts your files and demands payment for their restoration. Using examples and demonstrating techniques, he will provide the knowledge and tools to protect yourself from these devastating attacks..

• The Internet of Wild Things, Wednesday, Oct. 19, noon to 1 p.m., Campus Center Assembly Hall. The Internet of Things is a reference to the increasing number of devices connected to the Internet. From adjusting the temperature in your home to wearable technologies, controlling your environment has never been easier. Yet the implications of such activities can be…well, a little wild. Join Bill Kramp from SUNY’s Information Technology Exchange Center for a conversation about our interconnected world.

• The Snares of Social Media, Monday, Oct. 24, 7 to 8 p.m. in Campus Center 375.
Social media is a great way to stay connected with friends and business associates. Yet balancing your personal life with your professional image can be a real challenge. Join a panel of members of the UAlbany community, including a student, for lively discussion about how to use social media to its full advantage while avoiding common pitfalls that can wreak havoc with your online profile.

The panel, which will be moderated by Manjak, includes Nancy Lauricella, executive eirector of community standards; Diandra Marte, a UAlbany senior and English major; Brian Nussbaum, assistant professor in the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; and Amir Masoumzadeh, assistant professor of Computer Science in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

In addition, ITS is introducing a new Phish Alert service which will continue to benefit the campus long after National Cyber Security Awareness Month is over. If you think that message might be a hoax or sporting a malicious link, reporting it just got easier. Simply click on the Phish Alert icon in Outlook or Outlook Web Access to report the message to [email protected] and permanently delete it from your Inbox.

It’s just another way that the Information Security Team checks all reported messages, and takes action to protect our campus community.

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