Information Security and IT Compliance News

As we approach the holiday season, many stores are offering sales that are very enticing. You might think this is the ideal time to stock up on office supplies, or odds and ends for daily lab work that are currently discounted, but buyers beware because cybercriminals are also shopping around this time of year for data and information.  

Around the holidays, there is an increase in fake websites created by cybercriminals to mimic legitimate companies and brands with the purpose of stealing your information and money. The criminals will offer great sales to lure you in and compel you to click a link and enter your credit card information. Always be mindful of where you click and check the web address before accessing a website.  

To protect university information and secure your purchases, it’s always important to follow Procurement Service Center purchasing guidelines and best practices. CU Marketplace is the university’s official procurement system. For all university purchases, you should go through the CU Marketplace with your university account. Approved vendors within CU Marketplace may be running sales that you can take advantage of and accessing them through the Marketplace guarantees that you are accessing them through a secure and valid link.  

It can be tempting to go outside CU Marketplace because it can be challenging to find what you’re looking for, or perhaps the vendor with the product you want isn’t in CU Marketplace. Luckily, PSC outlines how to purchase from non-catalog suppliers and how to request a supplier be added. This ensures that vendors go through a security evaluation to identify and reduce risky business practices. This means vendors are checked to make sure their way of working is trustworthy.  

Don’t fall victim to a cybercriminal’s fake store trap. For more tips on how to protect your personal information during this time, read this article from SANS. Follow university best practices and together we can keep the university secure.