Learn to Protect Your Information during Cyber Security Month

Division of Information Technology will host events throughout October.

October 3, 2016

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(Jessica McConnell-Burt/GW Today)

The George Washington University will host a series of awareness-raising events in October during National Cyber Security Awareness Month, including a chance to win a Roku Media Player or an Apple Watch by participating in the Division of Information Technology’s phishing contest.

The month will kick off with a cyber security awareness test and giveaways in the Marvin Center Lobby from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 3.

Each week’s events will be organized by theme: “Basic Steps to Online Safety and Security,” “Creating a Culture of Cybersecurity in the Workplace,” “Recognizing and Combating Cybercrime” and “Building Resilience in Critical Systems.”

Events include an Oct. 5 session on avoiding ransomware, a type of malicious software that encrypts a user’s personal files and makes them inaccessible until a sum of money is paid, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Gelman Library Room 702; the 2016 techEXPO in the Mid-Campus Quad from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 11; and a password hacking demo Oct. 17 in the Marvin Center Lobby, where IT security experts will demonstrate how hackers access personal information.

The keystone event will take place from 9:45 a.m. to noon Oct. 31 in the Jack Morton Auditorium. Cybersecurity experts and professionals will discuss critical infrastructure protection and how to establish a career in the field.

The Division of IT has been observing National Cyber Security Awareness Month since 2011. More information and a full schedule are available on its website.