• IT Security Training begins next week!

• • Each year, UMB is required by the Office of Legislative Affairs Audit and the USM Security Standards to administer IT security awareness training.  The training needs to cover the most relevant and current IT security topics.

• • This year’s training will begin on April 8^th.  You will receive a welcome email from “University of Maryland, Baltimore do-not-reply@umaryland.edu” this is not SPAM and should not be deleted or reported. 

• • It will contain the link and information needed to complete your 2024 Awareness Training which is provided by UMB’s training partner, Knowbe4.

• • You will have four weeks to complete the thirty minute training module.  After the welcome message you will receive weekly reminders and another two days before the campaign ends.  If you haven’t completed the training by the due date, you will receive daily email reminders until you complete the training.

• • If you prefer to use your mobile device to complete the training, the KnowBe4 Learner App is available for iPhones in the Apple  store and Android devices in Google Play.

• CITS Website Redesign Project Wants Your Opinions!

• • Over the next six months, CITS will be redesigning our website to create a more user-friendly experience on our webpages. Our goal is to create a better experience for UMB students, staff, and faculty — and we are looking for your input!

• • To gather your insights and opinions, CITS has created a user survey that you can access by clicking the link here. Whether you’ve interacted with our webpages before or not, your opinions are valuable to our research. We hope that you will take the time to complete our five- to seven-minute survey to share your experiences, opinions, and preferences. We look forward to your feedback!

• Need IT Help?  
• If you have questions about any of these topics or any other type of IT assistance please contact us at help@umaryland.edu or 410-706-HELP.  We have support staff both onsite and virtually to help with all of your IT needs!

For more details or to learn more please visit our online IT Newsletter here. 

• Webex Meetings Is Going Away

• Meetings/Recordings

• Before July 31:

• ALL Webex meetings/classes/trainings need to be moved to either Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
• Any recordings that need to be saved need to be downloaded and stored in SharePoint or OneDrive.

• Voice Calling (Unified Calling)

• After Aug. 1:

• Unified Calling will continue to be licensed, and all employees who use Unified Calling will be able to continue using this feature through the Webex app.

• Microsoft Copilot (formerly “Bing Chat for Enterprise”)

• Microsoft Copilot is an AI-powered assistant that is now available at UMB!

• Copilot – and this is directly from Copilot – “can handle your questions and complete tasks for you via generative AI. Copilot can be used to solve complex tasks like math problems, create images using Bing’s Image Creator, and more.” 

• Specifically, Microsoft Copilot is protected, which means user and business data will stay within UMB.  So as you begin to use Copilot, always be sure to be in the Enterprise version, which is attached to your UMB Microsoft account, and a green “protected” icon will appear.

• Copilot used to be referred to as Bing Chat Enterprise.  Additional Copilot features are not presently available at UMB.

• To learn how to access Copilot, please view Accessing Microsoft Copilot. 

• Introducing CITS Shorts!
• CITS Shorts are a series of quick and easy-to-follow instructional videos designed to jumpstart and build upon your Microsoft 365 experience.  CITS Shorts are geared toward both new and veteran users and intended to provide pertinent information and support to UMB users.  Topics include “Where Should I Store My Files?”, “What Is Microsoft Teams – an overview”, “How to Use the Teams Application”, and more!  Please visit and re-visit the CITS Shorts webpage as new topics will continue to be added!

• OneDrive Migration – Notice
• CITS has been engaging users and departments with migrating files to OneDrive and SharePoint.

• If you have not already moved your data to OneDrive please complete this transition by December 31, 2023.
• If needed, please reach out to Desktop Support (pcsupport@umaryland.edu) for assistance.

• REMINDER - Need training?

• The CITS Training & Communication team is available to provide training for your team or department on a number of Microsoft tools – Office 365, OneDrive, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Planner and Forms. 
• If you would like to discuss your needs and set up a session, please email the CITS Training & Communications team at CITSTraining@umaryland.edu.

• WebEx Going Away!?! – REMINDER!

• You may have heard that WebEx is going away, what does this mean?
• PLEASE submit questions or concerns to help@umaryland.edu so that we can address them prior to the July 2024 transition deadline.

• Webex Going Away?! - The Elm (umaryland.edu)

• Now until July 2024
• WebEx meeting software will continue to be licensed through July 2024
• There will be no changes to the functionality that you have during this time.
• You will continue to be able to host and attend WebEx Meetings.
• You will continue to utilize Unified Calling (if you are a Unified Calling customer).

• Post July 2024 (this is when the change occurs)
• WebEx meetings will no longer be licensed.
• You will be able to attend meetings but limited in other meeting abilities (i.e. creating and hosting meetings)
• Unified Calling will continue to be licensed.
• You will continue to utilize Unified Calling (if you are a Unified Calling customer).

• Need training?

• The CITS Training & Communication team is available to provide training for your team or department on a number of Microsoft tools – Office 365, OneDrive, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Planner and Forms. 
• If you would like to discuss your needs and set up a session, please email the CITS Training & Communications team at CITSTraining@umaryland.edu.

• WebEx Going Away!?!

• You may have heard that WebEx is going away, what does this mean?

• Now until July 2024
• WebEx meeting software will continue to be licensed through July 2024
• There will be no changes to the functionality that you have during this time.
• You will continue to be able to host and attend WebEx Meetings.
• You will continue to utilize Unified Calling (if you are a Unified Calling customer).

• Post July 2024 (this is when the change occurs)
• WebEx meetings will no longer be licensed.
• You will be able to attend meetings but limited in other meeting abilities (i.e. creating and hosting meetings)
• Unified Calling will continue to be licensed.
• You will continue to utilize Unified Calling (if you are a Unified Calling customer).

• OneDrive and SharePoint Migration - UPDATE

• As mentioned previously we are working to migrate our files to OneDrive and SharePoint as part of the ongoing endeavor to utilize updated technologies.
• This will afford us the protection of our Microsoft security standards and agreements while providing greater accessibility to files. 
• CITS has been engaging users and departments with migrating files to OneDrive and SharePoint.
• If you have not already moved your data to OneDrive please reach out to Desktop Support (pcsupport@umaryland.edu) for assistance.
• Tom Hockensmith and Adam Ziman are continuing to contact departments and transfer files to SharePoint.
• Please reach out to them if you have any questions or concerns.

• UMB Acceptable Use Policy on IT Resources

• The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Acceptable Use Policy applies to authorized users who are defined as students, employees, visitors, and guests of UMB who use UMB information technology (IT) resources. The purpose of this policy is to state what constitutes the acceptable use and what constitutes the misuse of UMB IT resources.

• All authorized users are required to read and accept the Acceptable Use Policy. Before the implementation of the non-expiring password for user accounts, you were required to agree to the acceptable use policy during your annual password reset.

• To have a record of user agreement of the policy, we are implementing an annual review and acceptance when you log in to the myUMB campus portal. When you log in, a pop-up window will appear prompting you to review the policy and accept it. After the initial review and acceptance, you will be required to review and agree to the policy annually.

• This new initiative will go into effect Aug. 1, 2023 (today).

• Encrypting Your Email Messages

• UMB faculty, staff and students have the ability to send encrypted emails.

• More information is available from the recent ELM Article located here. 

• OneDrive and SharePoint Migration - UPDATE

• As mentioned previously we are working to migrate our files to OneDrive and SharePoint as part of the ongoing endeavor to utilize updated technologies.
• This will afford us the protection of our Microsoft security standards and agreements while providing greater accessibility to files. 
• CITS will begin to engage users and departments with migrating files to OneDrive and SharePoint starting this week, following this newsletter. 
• Details, timeline, and resources will be included in the direct communications.

• Training Resources webpage

• To help make our training resource guides and videos easier to find we have created a new webpage located here.

For this month’s newsletter we wanted to remind and share the available tools for keeping your information secure. 

Below are topics on applying sensitivity labels, sending secure encrypted emails and securely sharing large files/folders.

• Office 365 Sensitivity Labels

• Microsoft Office offers a Sensitivity feature that allows the owner of a document to place a label that restricts access.  This feature is now available to staff for use.
• Once a label is applied, only the person who assigned the label can remove it.  The label will follow the document, regardless if it is emailed or saved under a different name. 
• To learn more about this feature, please view the job aid here and a video on how to use here. 

• Sending Secure Encrypted Emails

• UMB faculty, staff and students have the ability to send encrypted emails. More information is available here. 

• Securely Sharing Large Files

• OneDrive allows you to securely share large files and folders.  More information is available is available by viewing this job aid here which is located on the OneDrive for Business page here.  

• Need IT Help?  
• If you have questions about any of these topics or any other type of IT assistance please contact us at help@umaryland.edu or 410-706-HELP.  We have support staff both onsite and virtually to help with all of your IT needs!

For more details or to learn more please visit our online IT Newsletter here. 

• OneDrive and SharePoint Migration

• As part of the ongoing endeavor to utilize updated technologies CITS will begin to engage users and departments with migrating files to OneDrive and SharePoint. 
• This will afford us the protection of our Microsoft security standards and agreements while providing greater accessibility to files. 
• Please be on the lookout for further communications regarding these endeavors.

• Need IT Help?  

• If you have questions about any of these topics or any other type of IT assistance please contact us at help@umaryland.edu or 410-706-HELP.  We have support staff both onsite and virtually to help with all of your IT needs!

For more details or to learn more please visit our online IT Newsletter here. 

• Office 365 Sensitivity Labels

• Microsoft Office offers a Sensitivity feature that allows the owner of a document to place a label that restricts access.  This feature is now available to staff for use.
• Once a label is applied, only the person who assigned the label can remove it.  The label will follow the document, regardless if it is emailed or saved under a different name. 
• To learn more about this feature, please view the job aid here and a video on how to use here. 

• Need IT Help?  

• If you have questions about any of these topics or any other type of IT assistance please contact us at help@umaryland.edu or 410-706-HELP.  We have support staff both onsite and virtually to help with all of your IT needs!

For more details or to learn more please visit our online IT Newsletter here. 

• Sending Secure Encrypted Emails

• UMB faculty, staff and students have the ability to send encrypted emails. More information is available here. 

• Microsoft Teams

• If you need to request a Microsoft Teams site please visit the Microsoft Teams page here. You will find information about Microsoft Teams and the Teams Request Form to request a new Microsoft Team.

• Help us, Help you

• Did you know that the helpdesk has a collection of the top issues with information and reference guides?
• This collection is located here and is broken into categories for easy reference.

 For more details or to learn more please visit our online IT Newsletter here. 

Unified Calling - Place and receive calls away from your office with Webex

• Unified Calling (formerly called Hybrid Calling) allows you to use the Cisco Webex application as your work telephone while you telework or are simply away from the office. In addition to availability on your computer, Webex is also available for use on your mobile device. More information is available here. 

Office 365 Outlook – MS Teams meeting link automatically added to appointments

• A new default feature in Office 365 Outlook automatically adds a Microsoft Teams meeting link to meetings that are scheduled with another person, regardless if a Zoom or Webex meeting is also added.
• This feature can be turned off. 
  • While in Outlook, go to File > Options, then select Calendar. 
  • Under Calendar Options, remove the checkmark next to the “Add online meetings to all meetings”.
  • For help with this, please see our Job Aid for more information.

New Campus MyUMB Portal

• This new, modern, customizable portal will be coming May 14, 2022!
• To learn more about what the new portal will offer, visit the myUMB Portal site.
• Be sure to check out our video to see a sneak peek of the new portal and some of its new features here.

VPN – Global Protect

• If you currently need and utilize VPN then we, CITS, have been reaching out to you to transition from Cisco VPN to Global Protect VPN.
• If you haven’t already made the switch then today is the day.
• Please contact help@umaryland.edu or 410-706-4357 if you have any issues that have not been addressed.

Annual Security Training

• It is time to complete the annual Security Training.
• Security and Compliance will begin sending out emails with the link to complete this training beginning Monday, April 4, 2022.
• The email will look like this:
  

IT Security Best Practices – Here are some security best practices that you can take to minimize the risk from potential cybersecurity threats.

• Ensure you are utilizing two-factor (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all business and personal accounts or services that support this technology.
  • For more information MFA please visit: https://www.nist.gov/back-basics-multi-factor-authentication
•  Do not conduct university business on a public Wi-Fi unless you can implement a VPN connection that utilizes MFA.
• Ensure that you are using Anti-Virus protection (with regular updates and Firewall software across all devices).
• Do not reuse passwords across accounts.  Create a unique password for each account you use.
• Keep your software up to date by turning on automatic updates for all hardware and software.
• Beware of suspicious emails and phone calls as these my contain malware of phishing scams.
• Ensure you are backing up your important data on a regular basis.
• Secure all physical devices and log off or shutdown devices when they are not in use.
  • You should log out and disconnect from university systems at the end of the day.
•  The UMB Palo Alto Global Protect VPN will disconnect after 3 hours of inactivity.
• Keep all mobile devices charged and have a backup plan in the event of a power loss when teleworking.

VPN – Upcoming Change 

• Over the next few weeks CITS will be testing a new VPN client for establishing a secure connection to the UMB network. The new client has the ability to check the security of the system connecting to the VPN to enhance the security of our network. Keep an eye out for more information on the new VPN. 

Unified Calling - Place and receive calls away from your office with Webex 

• Unified Calling (formerly called Hybrid Calling) allows you to use the Cisco Webex application as your work telephone while you telework or are simply away from the office. In addition to availability on your computer, Webex is also available for use on your mobile device. More information is available here.  

Self-Service 

• Faculty and staff can utilize the MyUMB Self Service menu to change or update the following information. It is necessary to log into MyUMB portal to make changes:
• Campus Contact Information (includes: functional title, campus phone number, campus fax number, pager number, etc.)
• Campus Address (includes: building and room number)
• Emergency Contact Information
• Home Address (these changes will only be reflected in MyUMB; therefore please, review information below on Address changes) 

Webex and Zoom 

• During the continuing hybrid work model, Webex and Zoom are valuable tools. Here are links to information about each.

Webex: https://www.umaryland.edu/webex/

Zoom: https://www.umaryland.edu/zoom/ 

There was no newsletter this month.

WebEx

• The WebEx software is installed by default on UMB managed computers and allows many features.  In order to take advantage of these features you need to ensure that you are signed into the program. 
• Please visit the UMB WebEx site for directions on signing in and various training and support resources.

Spirion (Identity Finder)

• Spirion helps to identify Personally Identifiable Information (PII) on your UMB managed computers. 
• Please use these instructions for how to respond when possible PII is found on your computer – Spirion/Identity Finder Instructions

Requesting VPN Access

CITS has updated the procedure to request VPN access for staff members. Supervisors or staff members themselves can request access. You may go to https://cf.umaryland.edu/vpn, and click on the “Access Management Request” to submit a request for VPN access. Once the form is submitted, the owner of the VPN group will review the request, and when the request is approved, you will receive an email. 

Purchasing

If you need to purchase IT equipment, especially for newly created positions within your department, please be sure to contact CITS Desktop Support to discuss computer needs as soon as possible. Due to the supply chain challenges we are currently experiencing, please be aware that there may be a delay in receiving equipment that has recently been ordered.

There was no newsletter this month.

 Webex

• WebEx has updated to combine all of the features of Webex Meetings, Webex Teams, and Webex into one application and will eventually discontinue support for WebEx Meetings application.
• Beginning next Tuesday, 10/12/2021 Desktop Support will begin uninstalling WebEx meetings from CITS managed computers leaving the updated “WebEx” application.
• The WebEx application allows you to join meetings, utilize hybrid calling features as well as utilize WebEx chat and team spaces. 

SPAM or Phishing Email

• What should you do if you received emails that are SPAM or phishing?
• Please visit the Phishing and Spam Email page for directions on how to submit suspicious email messages for review and processing. 

Need to send information or files securely?

Please visit our new resource page for using Office 365 for secure encrypted sharing located here.

Unified Calling - Place and receive calls away from your office with Webex

Unified Calling (formerly called Hybrid Calling) allows you to use the Cisco Webex application as your work telephone while you telework or are simply away from the office. In addition to availability on your computer, Webex is also available for use on your mobile device. More information is available here.   

Software Center

CITS offers a number of publicly licensed software available for use on your UMB issued computer.  To see what is available and install (or update) these software packages please use these directions.

Software Center 

CITS offers a number of publicly licensed software available for use.  To see what is available and install (or update) these software packages please use these directions.

Microsoft Office Upgrade 

CITS is working to update all supported machines to the latest version of Microsoft Office.  If you utilize Microsoft Visio or Microsoft Project, please reach out to desktop support at pcsupport@umaryland.edu so we can upgrade your license if necessary. 

Need IT Help?  

If you have questions about any of these topics or any other type of IT assistance please contact us at help@umaryland.edu or 410-706-HELP.  We have support staff both onsite and virtually to help with all of your IT needs!

Microsoft Office Upgrade

CITS is working to update all supported machines to the latest version of Microsoft Office.  If you utilize Microsoft Visio or Microsoft Project, please reach out to desktop support at pcsupport@umaryland.edu so we can upgrade your license if necessary.

Need IT Help?  

If you have questions about any of these topics or any other type of IT assistance please contact us at help@umaryland.edu or 410-706-HELP.  We have support staff both onsite and virtually to help with all of your IT needs!

End of Fiscal Year IT Purchases

With the end of the fiscal year fast approaching, now is a good time to use your budget to purchase IT equipment that you may need. In the past this could sometimes mean refreshing your computer equipment to ensure all staff has a computer that is under warranty. While this is still a great time to consider these types of purchases, keep in mind that with our return to campus your staff may need to have webcams or headsets to support virtual meetings while onsite. Please contact Desktop Support to discuss your equipment refresh and new purchase needs.

Return to In-Person Work

As UMB works toward returning to in-person work, CITS understands that there may be a need to move staff and their equipment around. Please contact CITS Desktop Support to coordinate and schedule computer moves for your department.

IT Training

CITS IT Training & Communications offers various training sessions to help with many different IT topics. You can go here to access the training database. Click on “Add Course” and use the drop down for a list of available topics. 

One of the newer topics available is training for Webex Unified Calling (Softphone). This training can be found by selecting “Virtual Meeting Tools” from the dropdown box and then finding “Webex Unified Calling (Softphone)” on the list. 

Please note that this training is available for UMB Staff, Faculty and Students. 

Returning to campus

As you plan for returning to campus in the fall, please let us know if there are any IT needs that we can assist with. 

Help Us Help You!

We are here to help you, and to help us do that, we are reaching out to find out which topics you would like for us to cover in our future newsletters. Please let us know if there are any topics you would like more information on, and then keep reading as we start including your requests each month. Please send your topics to Tom Hockensmith – thockensmith@umaryland.edu. Thank you! 

Need IT Help?

If you have questions about Unified Calling or if you need any other type of IT assistance, please contact us by email to help@umaryland.edu or by phone on 410-706-HELP. We have support staff both onsite and virtually to help with all of your IT needs!

Webex Unified Calling

If you need to make work related phone calls there is no need to use your personal phone number to make or receive those calls. Cisco Webex offers Unified Calling which allows you to use your office phone line while you are teleworking or are away from your office. This feature may be used through an app on your mobile device or on your computer. Please visit the CITS Cisco Webex – Unified Calling webpage for more information. 

Help Us Help You!

We are here to help you, and to help us do that, we are reaching out to find out which topics you would like for us to cover in our future newsletters. Please let us know if there are any topics you would like more information on, and then keep reading as we start including your requests each month. Please send your topics to Tom Hockensmith – you can either reply to this message, or send a separate email to thockensmith@umaryland.edu. Thank you! 

Need IT Help?

If you have questions about Unified Calling or if you need any other type of IT assistance, please contact us by email to help@umaryland.edu or by phone on 410-706-HELP. We have support staff both onsite and virtually to help with all of your IT needs!

New Authentication Page 

UMB’s Single Sign-on authentication page will soon have a new look.  To see the new page click here. The change is currently scheduled for March 4, 2021, so keep an eye out! 

OneDrive for Business 

Have you needed to access a personal work file while you were away from your desk or unable to reach your office computer by VPN and Remote Desktop? OneDrive for Business is the solution for that problem. With OneDrive you have the ability to store up to 5TB of files that may be accessed from anywhere you have an internet connection using Office365. Please visit our webpage for OneDrive for Business for more information. You may also register for courses to learn about OneDrive in our Human Resources eLearning website. Our course recommendation is OneDrive for Business: Using the Storage Tools. 

COVID-19 Vaccine Reporting 

For those teleworking who would like to report that you’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19, please do so using this form.  This is not required, however it is strongly encouraged and all information is confidential. 

Need IT Help?  

If you have questions about any of these topics or any other type of IT assistance please contact us at help@umaryland.edu or 410-706-HELP.  We have support staff both onsite and virtually to help with all of your IT needs!

SPAM 

Identity theft, fraud, spam, and phishing cybercriminals have become quite savvy in their attempts to lure people in to click on a link or open an attachment. Here are ways to protect yourself, courtesy of the National Cybersecurity Alliance. This includes information about Malicious Email, SPAM, Phishing, Spear Phishing, Spam & Phishing on Social Networks, etc. Please click here for more information. 

Spirion (Identity Finder)

Spirion helps to identify Personally Identifiable Information (PII) on your UMB managed computers.  These scans were paused due to episodic telework situations in order to reduce interference with system performance.  CITS Security Compliance will begin these scans again beginning in February 2021. 

Since it has been a while since we have had the need to address handling the Spirion/Identity Finder notifications, please see these instructions for how to respond when possible PII is found on your computer – Spirion/Identity Finder Instructions.

Need IT Help? 

If you have questions about any of these topics or any other type of IT assistance please contact us at help@umaryland.edu or 410-706-HELP.  We have support staff both onsite and virtually to help with all of your IT needs!

Returning after the Winter Break

While many of us may not be back in the office yet, most of us are returning to working remotely at the beginning of the New Year. The first time you log back into your computer after returning, you may receive some notifications. The most common notification is from Symantec indicating that a computer’s virus definitions are out of date. This issue should resolve on its own after the computer has been on for a period of time. Additionally, often a computer restart will resolve any notifications regarding updates. If you have questions or concerns, please contact help@umaryland.edu. 

Registering a New Device with DUO

During the holidays many people purchase or receive new devices. For DUO authentication to work on a new device, it will need to be registered. For instructions on how to do this, please see this guide. 

Inventory Updates

CITS Desktop Support will be working directly with each department to track fiscal year hardware refreshes.  This will help departments plan hardware purchases for the remainder of FY’21 as well as help with budget planning over upcoming fiscal years.  If you have any questions regarding the status of expected hardware refreshes for your department, please contact Tom Hockensmith (thockensmith@umaryland.edu) or Dorothy Drinan (ddrinan@umaryland.edu). 

Need IT Help? 

If you have questions about any of these topics or any other type of IT assistance please contact us at help@umaryland.edu or 410-706-HELP.  We have support staff both onsite and virtually to help with all of your IT needs!

Advice for shopping online

The holiday season is a prime time for hackers, scammers, and online thieves. Due to the pandemic, this holiday season may look and feel a bit different, but we all still need to be aware of the potential dangers online shopping can bring and the ways we can protect ourselves. While millions of Americans will be online looking for the best gifts and Cyber Monday deals, hackers will be looking to take advantage of unsuspecting shoppers by searching for weaknesses in their devices or internet connections or attempting to extract personal and financial information through fake websites or charities. 

The best defense against these threats is awareness. There are a few simple steps we all can take to be more secure before and after we shop. Please visit the online version of this newsletter where the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency explains how...

Check Your Devices

Before making any online purchases, make sure the device you’re using to shop online is up-to-date. Next, take a look at your accounts and ask, do they each have strong passwords? And even better, if multi-factor authentication is available, are you using it? 

Multi-factor authentication (or two-factor authentication), uses multiple pieces of information to verify your identity. Even if an attacker obtains your password, they may not be able to access your account if it’s protected by this multiple step verification process. 

Image of a little girl with wi-fi symbol beside her.

• Protect your devices by keeping the software up-to-date. These include items like mobile phones, computers, and tablets, but also appliances, electronics, and children’s toys.
• Once you’ve purchased an internet connected device, change the default password and use different and complex passwords for each one. Consider using a password manager to help.
• Check the devices’ privacy and security settings to make sure you understand how your information will be used and stored. Also make sure you’re not sharing more information than you want or need to provide.
• Enable automatic software updates where applicable, as running the latest version of software helps ensure the manufacturers are still supporting it and providing the latest patches for vulnerabilities.

Only Shop Through Trusted Sources

Think about how you're searching online? Are you searching from home or on public Wi-Fi? How are you finding the deals? Are you clicking on links in emails or going to trusted vendors? Are you clicking on ads on webpages?

You wouldn’t go into a store with boarded up windows and without signage – the same rules apply online. If it looks suspicious, something's probably not right.

Image of a website globe with verified check mark.

• Before providing any personal or financial information, make sure that you are interacting with a reputable, established vendor.
• Some attackers may try to trick you by creating malicious websites that appear to be legitimate. Always verify the legitimacy before supplying any information. If you’ve never heard of it before, check twice before handing over your information.
• Don’t connect to unsecure public Wi-Fi, especially to do your banking or shopping.
• Most of us receive emails from retailers about special offers during the holidays. Cyber criminals will often send phishing emails—designed to look like they’re from retailers—that have malicious links or that ask for you to input your personal or financial information.
• Don’t click links or download attachments unless you’re confident of where they came from. If you’re unsure if an email is legitimate, type the URL of the retailer or other company into your web browser as opposed to clicking the link.
• Never provide your password, or personal or financial information in response to an unsolicited email. Legitimate businesses will not email you asking for this information.
• Make sure your information is being encrypted. Many sites use secure sockets layer (SSL) to encrypt information. Indications that your information will be encrypted include a URL that begins with "https:" instead of "http:" and a padlock icon. If the padlock is closed, the information is encrypted.

Use Safe Methods for Purchases

If you're ready to make a purchase, what information are you handing over? Before providing personal or financial information, check the website's privacy policy. Make sure you understand how your information will be used and stored.

Image of a credit card with a lock.

• If you can, use a credit card as opposed to a debit card. There are laws to limit your liability for fraudulent credit card charges, but you may not have the same level of protection for your debit cards. Additionally, because a debit card draws money directly from your bank account, unauthorized charges could leave you with insufficient funds to pay other bills. Also use a credit card when using a payment gateway such as PayPal, Google Wallet, or Apple Pay.
• You’ll likely make more purchases over the holiday season, be sure to check your credit card and bank statements for any fraudulent charges frequently. Immediately, notify your bank or financial institution and local law enforcement.
• Be wary of emails requesting personal information. Attackers may attempt to gather information by sending emails requesting that you confirm purchase or account information. Legitimate businesses will not solicit this type of information through email. Do not provide sensitive information through email.

 If you receive a suspicious email that you think may be a phishing scam, you can report it at us-cert.gov/report-phishing.

Used with permission of Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency

UMB Equipment at Home

During episodic telework, some Central Admin staff members have obtained permission from their supervisors to take their UMB desktops home for work. If you and your supervisor have worked out and agreement to take any UMB owned equipment home for use, please submit this form to your supervisor for authorization. Additionally, please contact CITS Desktop Support to coordinate in order to ensure you have all of the equipment and software needed.

New Password Policy Implemented!

UMB’s new password policy has been implemented! New passwords will simply require that passwords length be between 12 and 32 characters, and pass a quality check to ensure the password hasn’t been previously compromised or could be easily guessed. The next time you change your password it will no longer expire or need to be changed unless it is forgotten or compromised. 

Need IT Help?

If you have questions about any of these topics or need any other type of IT assistance, please contact us at help@umaryland.edu or 410-706-HELP. We have support staff both onsite and virtually to assist with all of your IT needs! 

On-site Computer Restarts and Shut Downs 

When episodic telework began in March 2020, CITS Desktop Support removed the ability to power down and restart computers in order to reduce the occurrence of accidental workstation shutdowns. Just recently CITS has re-enabled the “Restart” and “Shut down” options as it is an effective method for individuals to ‘solve’ many common issues when a computer is not working as expected.  Please be aware that if you are working remotely you should NOT shut down your office computer, as it can only be powered back on manually in person.  If you have any questions or accidentally shut down your computer, CITS Desktop Support does have staff onsite that can assist. 

UMB IT Resource Orientation

CITS has started to offer an orientation for new employees or anyone that wants a refresher on the IT tools and resources available to help perform their job.  We strongly encourage anyone that feels this would be useful to reach out to the Help Desk so we can invite you or your staff to the next session.

A reminder that very soon the password requirements will be dramatically changing! 

The new UMB password policy will simply require that passwords have a minimum length of 12 characters and pass a quality check to ensure the password hasn’t been previously compromised or could be easily guessed.  Additionally, passwords set under the new policy will no longer expire or need to be changed unless they are forgotten or compromised.  The new policy will take effect the next time a password is changed. 

New to WebEx or Zoom? 

WebEx and Zoom are virtual meeting tools that are available to the UMB community.  If you are a new user or want to learn about certain features you haven’t used yet, overview sessions for both WebEx and Zoom are being offered.  Visit the Training Enrollment Database to view the schedule and sign up. Both courses are located under Virtual Meeting Tools.

These sessions are geared for new users and will cover the basics of how to attend a meeting, schedule a meeting, the participant experience and the host experience (how to run a meeting).  This includes reviewing your audio and video, how to access the participant and chat features, sharing your screen, and recording a meeting.

Need IT Help? 

If you have questions about any of these topics or any other type of IT assistance please contact us at help@umaryland.edu or 410-706-HELP.  We have support staff both onsite and virtually to help with all of your IT needs!

Very soon the password requirements will be dramatically changing! 

The new UMB password policy will simply require that passwords have a minimum length of 12 characters and pass a quality check to ensure the password hasn’t been previously compromised or could be easily guessed.  Additionally, passwords set under the new policy will no longer expire or need to be changed unless they are forgotten or compromised.  The new policy will take effect the next time a password is changed. 

Please note that this policy will not apply to Public Safety staff, or to UMB Affiliate members who are not using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA or DUO) to log in to their accounts when off campus.

Place and receive calls away from your office with WebEx Teams 

Hybrid Calling is a feature available through Webex Teams.  Hybrid Calling allows you to use Webex Teams as your work telephone, which is a great way to stay connected while teleworking! You can remotely answer incoming calls to your UMB desk extension as well as place outgoing calls from your UMB phone number.  In addition, this service may use your Internet (Wi-Fi) connection speeds instead of your cellular service that may have a weak signal in your home.

To learn more about Hybrid Calling and determine if your extension is eligible, visit our Webex Teams – Hybrid Calling website.  For additional help or questions, contact the Help Desk at 6-HELP.

CITS Calendar of Events 

CITS keeps a calendar of IT training opportunities and scheduled system outage events which can be found here.  The training opportunities available for September/October include a variety of Office 365 topics and introductions to WebEx and Zoom. 

Virtual backgrounds now available in WebEx 

WebEx now supports virtual backgrounds.  The Office of Communications and Public Affairs has provided a variety of UMB themed backgrounds.  These backgrounds can be found on their website here and they can be used for WebEx, Zoom, MS Teams. 

Live captioning available for virtual meetings 

WebEx and Microsoft Teams both offer Live Captioning features for increased accessibility.  This accessibility feature should be available for Zoom in the coming months. 

Software patches and updates 

Software patches and updates were pushed out to CITS managed computers on Monday, September 14^th.  The next round of software patches and updates are scheduled to be pushed out to CITS managed devices on October 12^th. 

Please note that if you encounter any issues after updates are pushed out, you may send an email to help@umaryland.edu indicating that you are having difficulties.  Often a computer restart will resolve the issues, and we have staff on-site that would be able to manually restart your computer. 

Sometimes when updates to software are made, there are occasionally changes in look or feel of the software, and even some changes to functionality.  Recently there was an update to CISCO WebEx which resulted in various changes to the software, and CISCO has provided a webpage detailing these updates - WebEx updates 

Need IT Help? 

If you have questions about any of these topics or any other type of IT assistance, please contact us at help@umaryland.edu or 410-706-HELP.  We have support staff both onsite and virtually to help with all of your IT needs!

Accessing AVD