Guard Against Cyber Threats, Get a Chance at a GoPro

As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month in October, the Duke University and Duke Health IT Security Offices are asking employees and students to take a quiz to test their knowledge about ransomware and other phishing attacks.

Staff, faculty and students who take the quiz will be entered in a random drawing to win either a GoPro camera or an Amazon Echo.

There has been a national rise in ransomware, which is malicious software that encrypts or locks a computer or files to prevent access unless a ransom is paid. Recent ransomware attacks targeting healthcare organizations have caused some institutions to take IT systems offline and revert to paper records temporarily to recover.

Several waves of phishing attacks containing ransomware have targeted Duke users and departments, said Richard Biever, the university’s chief information security officer.

“Ransomware is malware on steroids,” Biever said. “Good cyber hygiene is still the best defense: Don’t open attachments, make sure your computer and software are kept up-to-date, and keep good backups.”

Events during National Cyber Security Awareness Month include: a Duke IT Security Office information table at the Bryan Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Oct. 6, and two Learn IT @ Lunch seminars in October that are focused on IT security.

For more information, visit security.duke.edu.