(EDITOR’S NOTE: October is National Cyber Security Awareness as Month. The following is the second in a series of stories from UNMC Information Technology Services that highlight aspects of cyber security.)
Here are some tips for protecting information on your mobile devices.
ITS recommends confidential information be stored on centrally supported file servers rather than mobile devices or even individual workstation hard drives.
Mobile devices include PDAs, laptops, pagers, cell phones with text pages, Blackberry devices, flash drives, USB stick, zip drives and CDs. While these devices are efficient to use, they also can present a security risk if proper precautions are not taken to protect the information contained on them.
Technical safeguards such as encryption and strong passwords must be utilized when available to prevent improper access to the information stored on the mobile device. (Note: Encryption is the translation of data into a secret code. A strong password is difficult to guess by other people.)
Physical safeguards offer protection, such as locking the device in a drawer, glove box, car trunk, or storing the device out of sight when not in use. Never leave a mobile device unattended, even for a short period of time. It takes a thief only a matter of seconds to steal valuable possessions.
If you have a mobile device and it is lost or stolen, immediately report the theft to campus security or the Help Desk.
The theft of confidential information contained on the devices could cause serious harm. Implement the simple safeguards above to reduce this risk.