{"id":61948,"date":"2019-11-08T09:20:49","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T14:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=61948"},"modified":"2019-11-08T09:23:12","modified_gmt":"2019-11-08T14:23:12","slug":"goodman-students-place-cyber-security-in-the-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2019\/11\/goodman-students-place-cyber-security-in-the-spotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"Goodman students place cyber security in the spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

As National Cyber Security Awareness Month came to an end, students in Professor Teju Herath\u2019s Information Assurance course shone a spotlight on important cyber security topics.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Oct. 31, Herath\u2019s students displayed their class projects along the Canadian Tire Bridge at Brock University with the goal of raising awareness on cyber security issues. This was the fourth annual poster competition, created in conjunction with the \u201cThink before you click<\/a>\u201d campaign led by Brock\u2019s Central Information Technology Services (ITS) department.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event presents students with experiential learning opportunities as they take their in-class knowledge and apply it to the real world,\u201d says Herath. \u201cI hope this project makes my students more engaged in cyber security and that their posters drive the public to reflect on their online activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The posters were judged by Vice President of IT Services David Cullum, Manager of ITS and Physical Space John D\u2019Amico, Goodman Accreditations Coordinator Alyssa Freeman, and IT Security and Infrastructure Specialist Daniel Garcia.\u00a0The ransomware poster created by Alyssa Blanchard, Yash Kapadia, Eric Li, David Obaji and Xuanhui Zhang placed first in the competition.<\/p>\n

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Poster judges Vice President of IT Services David Cullum, Manager of ITS and Physical Space John D\u2019Amico, Goodman Accreditations Coordinator Alyssa Freeman, and IT Security and Infrastructure Specialist Daniel Garcia.<\/p><\/div>\n

Kapadia compares ransomware to a home invasion.<\/p>\n

\u201cImagine you\u2019re locked out of your house and there\u2019s a burglar inside requesting you to pay a ransom in order to regain access,” he said. “This can happen to your computer as well. Your personal files, documents, photos and financial information are being held hostage by a stranger.\u201d<\/p>\n

The winning group stresses the importance of downloading antivirus software, using firewalls and generating awareness around cyber security in order to avoid ransomware and other cyber attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cStatistics show that even Brock faculty, staff and students are affected by cyber threats,\u201d Herath said. \u201cWe may think we know what we are doing online, but often times we don\u2019t think about the long-term implications.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are many easy and cost-effective ways to avoid cyber scams. Professor Herath suggests the following:<\/p>\n