Cybersecurity is an ever-changing field, and it is only increasing in importance. Every year, our cybersecurity team engages in a number of major projects, plus regular security maintenance and awareness efforts. This year we've grown our team, increased security across campus, found new ways to grow awareness, and dealt with the unique issue presented by supporting secure practices while working and studying remotely.
The cybersecurity team worked on several major projects throughout 2020. One of the most significant events was the implementation of a new campus wide VPN. This new system provides easier mobile VPN access as well as device health checks whenever logging in to help prevent compromised devices from accessing sensitive data.
Other major initiatives include procuring KnowBe4, which allows us to provide both role-specific and campus wide cybersecurity training, and starting the work on a new security documentation protocol which will ultimately allow the University to continue participating in federally funded research projects.
Our cybersecurity team does impressive work, but the rest of campus still has an important role to play in protecting themselves and the university. In order to achieve that, the cybersecurity team works throughout the year to raise awareness. Some of the efforts from 2020 were:
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent alternate operations brought a spotlight to various cybersecurity concerns that hadn't been primary focuses previously. The Cybersecurity team worked tirelessly to promote awareness and protect against various threats. Some of the outstanding efforts include:
| Cybersecurity Numbers At A Glance |
|---|
| 12,578,404 threats blocked by firewalls |
| 15,000 malicious files quarantined before reaching campus |
| 2,264 alerts and event tickets handled by the Security Operations Center |
| 1,575 new hires received training in Cybersecurity Awareness |
| 464 individuals completed role-based training specific to certain secure datasets |
Last Updated: March 04, 2021
