Team Meetings and Tailgates

UCalgary promotes safety across all our campuses – and many team and tailgates host safety moments as part of every meeting. But, have you ever thought of using cybersecurity as a safety moment?

Below are a number of different tips and associated links that you can share with your colleagues so we can all Stay Cybersecure. At Home. At UCalgary.

1. Never click on links in emails. If you do think the email is legitimate, whether from a third-party retailer or primary retailer, go to the site and log on directly. Whatever notification or service offering was referenced in the email will be available via regular logon if it was valid.
2. Never open the attachments. Typically, retailers, financial institutions and others will not send emails with attachments. If there is any doubt, contact the retailer directly and ask whether the email with the attachment was sent from them.

1. Social engineering is a process of deceiving individuals into providing personal information to seemingly trusted agents who turn out to be malicious actors. If contacted via email or telephone by someone claiming to be a retailer or collection agency, do not give out your personal information. Instead, ask them to provide you their name, and a callback number. Just because they may have some of your information does not mean they are legitimate!
2. Verify the authenticity of requests from companies or individuals by contacting them directly. If you are asked to provide personal information via email, you can independently contact the company directly to verify this request. Do NOT use the phone number provided over the phone or in the email. Go to the company website.

1. Set secure passwords and don’t share them with anyone. Avoid using common words, phrases, or personal information and update them regularly.
2. Keep your operating system, browser, anti-virus software, and other critical software up to date. Security updates and patches are available free of charge from major companies, and UCalgary ensures updates and patches for all its systems and devices.
3. Get MFA! Multi-factor Authentication is a second layer of protection

• Take the time to ensure email addresses are correct and owned by who you think they are
• Don’t click on a link or an attachment to an email that you aren’t sure is legit
• Never share your passwords, and change your passwords frequently
• Protect your technology – make sure your personal devices are protected with anti-virus software and a firewall to prevent them from being manipulated by unknown parties
• Think before you post – ask yourself if it might make you interesting to cyber criminals
• Don’t be social engineered – this is the number one way people are compromised and the bad guys play heavily on trickery and the exploitation of trust