Cybersecurity

To successfully complete Cybersecurity

READ this blog post.

DO and THINK about the information in the “Learn More About” activities.

LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities.

Your total time commitment is about 40 minutes.

Introduction to Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is keeping the information on computers and other devices safe, and it is especially important when dealing with personal information like names, contact information, SSNs, student IDs, birthdates, banking details, and more.

Common vulnerabilities in computer systems include backdoors (a method of bypassing authentication, so the user doesn’t have to log in to access the computer), eavesdropping (which, like human eavesdropping, involves listening in on a “conversation” between computers on a network), and exploits (which is when someone uses a piece of software to use a glitch in the computer to its advantage).

Another vulnerability – which you don’t need to know a lot about computer science to help avoid – is human error. Examples of mistakes like this include telling someone your password to a secure network, downloading something from a stranger’s flash drive onto a secure computer, or leaving yourself logged into a computer and walking away.

The consequences of having your cybersecurity breached depends on the scope and type of breach. If patrons’ personal information is stolen, you risk losing your patrons because they don’t trust you with their information anymore. (For example, Target’s business took a hit after they were hacked over Black Friday last year.) Sometimes the hackers steal money from the organization, in which case you suffer a financial loss.

Secure coding, firewalls, user account controls, and other means can be used to try to protect a network from infiltration, but the hardest methods of cybersecurity to enforce are those left up to the users (that’s us!). The network can be completely secured from the computer science standpoint, but all of that work does us no good if we give out our passwords and let anyone use it.

Learn More About Cybersecurity

1. Read Microsoft’s tips on creating a secure password. (5 minutes)

2. Read Lifehacker’s explanation of how to avoid being the victim of social engineering attacks. (15 minutes)

Hands-On Activities

1. Check this list of the 25 most common passwords of 2013 (reported by CBS). Are any of your passwords (work, personal email, bank account, etc.) on this list? If so, you should go change them. Like, right now. (10 minutes)

2. Pretend you are a hacker who wants to get into the computer system here at the library. What would you do to steal our information? Would you take a computer-based approach or a human-based approach? Why? Now think about what you can do as an employee of the library to stop people who might take your chosen approach. (10 minutes)

When You're Done...

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