Cyber Security Awareness Month is a global event with the aim of raising awareness of cyber security threats, to promote cyber security among organisations and the general public, and to provide resources to protect themselves online, through education and sharing of good practices. In October, the IT Security team pulled together a series of on campus and online events to promote cyber security awareness and answer questions staff have about cyber security. All staff, from novice to IT professional, were encouraged to attend. 

We ran 8 events,  4 on campus events and 4 online.  Almost 400 staff members engaged with at least one Cyber Security Awareness month event.

Here is some of feedback we received from staff that attended our events;

“Good to be reminded of our responsibilities in relation to UCC.”

“I was particularly blown away at the figure of 150m "security events" every month! It should be mandatory for everyone to complete an IT security course - like the manual handling course. Well done!”

“Great variety of speakers and topics covered that were delivered in a non-technical format”

The IT Security team are planning more events for 2023, including Cyber Security Awareness month in October 2023.

Tips to Protect Yourself from Cyber Criminals this Christmas.

Unfortunately Christmas time offers opportunity to cyber criminals to target people online. Our IT Security team have some advice and tips to help you be safe when shopping and interacting online in the lead up to Christmas.

• Be alert to the kinds of information being collected to complete your transaction. If the merchant is requesting more data than you feel comfortable sharing or something doesn’t feel right, cancel the transaction.
• Don’t click on advertisements - fake e-commerce sites are a problem at this time of year. Only shop from trusted retailer websites. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is
• Beware of Fake delivery information - fake An Post or other delivery company notifications especially by text message will increase over the Christmas period
• Consider your Payment Options - a credit card is better than a debit card if something goes awry. There are also services that allow you to pay for purchases without giving the merchant your credit card details (e.g. Paypal)
• Shop Local - it is far easier to verify legitimate business in your city or town than it is online. Tap your credit card rather than use chip and PIN. The tap limit using your phone is €350

Remember - Cyber threats are very real, THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK! Email itsecurity@ucc.ie if you notice any suspicious activity or believe your UCC account has been compromised.  Visit the IT Security SharePoint site to learn more about working safely online.