The University of Wisconsin’s Division of Information Technology is doing its part this month to increase campus computer security awareness, without having to change many of the services it already provides.
Throughout the month of October, DoIT is providing helpful tips on self-checking a computer, holding free security classes every Wednesday at noon, and providing free desktop and laptop security checks at all three help desk locations.
While security checks have been free since the help desk’s inception, they are using the month of October to promote greater awareness of the service and why it is helpful.
DoIT and the UW Office of Campus Information Security have begun a “zombie-free” campaign to raise awareness about both National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and recent computer security breaches reported by students.
“When school started, we saw a higher number of students coming in reporting viruses and slow computers, so we want to let everyone on campus know about our free security checks,” DoIT spokesperson Brian Rust said. “National Cybersecurity Awareness Month might not catch a lot of attention, but we’re hoping free security checks will.”
While the security checks have always been free, DoIT implemented the security classes every Wednesday for the national Cybersecurity campaign, helpdesk staffer Ty Christian said.
When using the DoIT help desk, students can either go through a security self-checklist with a staff member or take their computer for a day and do a thorough security check on a PC or a Mac, which includes removing viruses and malware, checking firewalls, backing up data and much more, Christian said.
The process not only helps students and faculty with their computer security concerns, but also helps their wallets.
While a free security check may not seem like much work, Rust said it saves students and faculty hundreds of dollars, and provides a convenience by having the work done on campus.
“A trained technician would probably charge around $70 an hour, and this kind of work usually takes a couple hours so people who go through DoIT probably save a couple hundred dollars,” Rust said.
The security checks provided by DoIT search for all of the basic problems typically wrong with a computer along with more unusual problems, but students have not taken advantage of the free checks as much as professors and other staff have, Christian said.
Christian said he usually sees only five to six students a day for security checklist walk throughs, adding he hopes the “zombie-free” campaign will bring more students in.
The main focus of the “zombie-free” campaign has been to educate the campus about the free security checks and to keep UW information technology resources secure, and Christian said he hopes the campaign is successful.
“I think [the campaign] is great. The zombie idea is good advertising and timely, and hopefully it increases the awareness for Cybersecurity month,” Christian said.
The free security checks are provided at the DoIT help desk locations in the DoIT tech store, in the lower level of the Memorial Union and at the Health Sciences Center.
