Office of Chief Information Security Officer


The Cyber Security information and resources collected on this page is intended to provide an introduction to the topic, and help you protect yourself, your friends and family, and the wider University community as a result. We encourage everyone to look through what's here.

If you're looking for additional resources tailored for University staff, come join us in the Security Corner (staff login required).

Focus: Device Security & Travelling

As travel continues to open up, there is a greater need to take steps to keep yourself secure while travelling. ITDS have developed a one-page security guidelines for travelling overseas (PDF, 105.26 KB) (opens in a new window) to provide some advice on keeping your devices and data secure. These twelve tips that turn away technical troubles are valid for University staff & students as well as the general public.

Be Smart with your devices: lock your devices; do not leave devices unattended; do not download files from untrusted sources.

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Device Hygiene & Bring Your Own Device

If you’re using your own device to access University services, please make sure you’re practicing good device hygiene, to ensure our data is kept as securely as possible.

When accessing University data or digital services, ensure the device(s) used are secure: install system updates as they’re made available by the device’s manufacturer, and have functioning antiviral software. With these, you are much less vulnerable to viruses and we are all more secure.

Lock your device

Setting a pin, password, fingerprint or facial recognition is often the first and easiest steps in preventing unwanted access to your devices.

Manage Wireless Services

You should be turning Bluetooth and WiFi off when they are not in use as they can provide attackers an avenue to access your devices

Set up remote tracking

In the event you lose a device, or it gets stolen, services like Find my iPhone or Find My Device can allow you to lock or wipe your device remotely

Take care around WiFi hotspots

Free public WiFi Hotspots often provide little in terms of security. Therefore, you should not access sensitive data (like mobile banking) when using them. If you’re creating a hotspot with your phone, make it secured with a strong, unique password

If you need to safely connect a device to the ‘Western WiFi’ Network, instructions can be found in KB0014236 (opens in a window).

Passwords

Passwords are the keys to your digital kingdom! It is vitally important they are strong and secure.

  • Make different passwords for different accounts
  • Don't share your password with anyone
  • Consider changing your passwords regularly, at least once annually
  • When you have the option to, switch on Multifactor Authentication
  • If you struggle to remember multiple passwords, consider using password management software.

Looking for advice on managing the password to your Western Account? ITDS maintains a Western Sydney University Password Management (opens in a new window) knowledge article.

Focus: Phishing

Be sceptical with emails. Ask yourself: who is sending this; where do links lead; why is it urgent; is it too good to be true?

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Phishing is a scam to try and steal your identity, your money, or both. Don't get hooked!

Spotting and reporting phishing

Have a look at our short video on recognising phishing emails! (opens in a new window)

Phishing & COVID-19

Scammers have been using the COVID-19 epidemic as bait in phishing scams, not just emails but in text messages and social media. Now, more than ever, maintaining healthy scepticism is vitally important. If you receive a suspicious message, report it to the IT Service Desk.

Need further assistance?

If you have cyber security concerns, or think you may have been scammed, please contact the IT Service Desk by:

Cyber Security in the IT Knowledge Base

If you want to explore Cyber Security in more depth than outlined above, there are Knowledge Articles that cover several Cyber Security topics. If you're not sure where to start, we've created a Cyber Security Knowledge Base Reference Guide to help!

We particularly encourage students to read through our Student Cyber Security Guide, which is available through the Knowledge Base, article KB0016229 (opens in a new window).