Cyber Minute: Clear Your Cache Before Fall
Start the semester fresh. Clear your browser cookies and cache, and run any pending software updates. Unpatched software is one of the most common ways malware gets onto your device.
Cyber Minute: New semester, new password habits
Starting fresh this fall? Make sure your college password isn’t the same one you use everywhere else. A breach on one site shouldn’t open the door to your student account.
Cyber Minute: Move-in Week Deepfake Voice Scam Alert
Voice-cloning tools can mimic a real person’s voice from a few seconds of audio. If you get an urgent call during the chaos of move-in week that sounds like a supervisor demanding gift cards or wire transfers, verify through a second channel before acting.
Cyber Minute: Lock Your Screen Every Single Time
As you prep your classrooms, build this habit now: press Windows + L (or Ctrl + Cmd + Q on Mac) every time you step away from the podium. Every. Single. Time.
Cyber Minute: Secure Your Smart Devices at Home
If you work from home, change the default passwords on your router and smart home devices. A compromised home device can become a backdoor into networks where you’re doing college work.
Cyber Minute: Beware the ‘syllabus update’ phish
Phishing emails disguised as urgent syllabus templates or curriculum updates are on the rise before the fall semester. Always check the actual sender’s email address before opening any attachment.
Cyber Minute: Clean Up your Desktop and Downloads
Student records and sensitive files shouldn’t sit in your Downloads folder forever. Take 10 minutes to move confidential documents to Google Drive — or delete them entirely.
Cyber Minute: Vishing: when phishing comes by phone
A caller claiming to be ‘IT’ asking you to read back a verification code or install remote access software is a vishing attempt. The real Technology Help Desk will never ask for your password over the phone. Hang up and call us back directly.
Cyber Minute: Public Wi-Fi and the lakeshore trap
Working remotely from a local coffee shop this summer? Public Wi-Fi is rarely secure. Connect to the college’s VPN before logging into Canvas, grading systems, or MyNMC.
Cyber Minute: The out of office vulnerability
Keep your out of office reply generic. Don’t share where you’re traveling or who’s covering specific duties—scammers use that info to trick your colleagues into buying gift cards or wiring money.