Gunrock: You get a Zoom!

It’s almost as simple as not using 123456 as a password: Duo, Zoom, and good advice for cybersecurity at UC Davis this fall

Zoom and Duo are the new names in campus cybersecurity this year, so they’re getting more attention. But to protect yourself from hacks and account breaches, you need to think about your habits as much as you do your technology.

As we enter the new academic year, here are three things you can do as a student to significantly cut your exposure to cyber-risks while you study at UC Davis. These ideas come from the UC Davis Information Security Office. To make your work and privacy even more secure, check out the additional ideas at the end.

Use UC Davis Zoom

You have probably used Zoom already, so there are just a couple of things to check.

First, if you don't have a campus Zoom account yet (ucdavis.zoom.us), get one. There's no cost to you. Be sure to use your UC Davis email address with your account.

Also look over these security tips from Zoom, and adopt any you don’t already use.

Sign up for Duo

You might also have heard about Duo, since UC Davis student employees already have it, as do all UC Davis faculty and staff. Duo is a multi-factor authentication app, and it works by requiring a second credential—usually a code that the app generates on your smartphone—when you log in to a protected account or service. It’s the digital equivalent of a deadbolt on your door.

In early 2021 the campus will ask all students to enroll in Duo, but if you get Duo now, you can improve your security immediately.

There’s no cost if you use the Duo app on your phone, which is also the easiest way to use Duo. You can use a token, though, if the app isn’t an option for you. Read more at movetoduo.

Update your apps, and choose real passwords

Whatever tech tools you use, follow these basic good habits:

  • Always keep your software updated. When you receive notices of security updates for your app, install them. Outdated operating systems and apps are much more vulnerable to hacks.
  • Don’t re-use passwords among your accounts, don’t share passwords, and don’t use passwords that function more like invitations, such as 123456. At least 23.2 million people have used 123456, probably to their regret, since it tops the list of most-hacked passwords. It was followed by 123456789, qwerty, and password.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and the University of California has assembled some interesting resources and links that go deeper into various aspects of cybersecurity. The lineup even includes an 18-minute fictional movie, True Eye, about a new employee whose artificial-intelligence Guide starts asking him to do unethical things.

To see a longer list of good security habits, visit the Information Security Office’s Ideas for Students.

Stay secure!