Malware and Cybersecurity

The healthcare industry is the top target of cybersecurity threats with 88% of all ransomware directed at healthcare practices and institutions. Statistics show that there are 478 new cyber threats every minute. We utilize robust firewalls and multiple layers of sophisticated IT security, but the number one security vulnerability is human error (responding to spam and phishing attempts, for example). We have published many tips, tricks, and warnings about avoiding dangerous email phishing attempts. This seems to have had the desired impact since our frequency of falling for these malicious attempts to steal our valuable data have decreased dramatically. However, the one group that seems to still struggle with this is our student employees. Therefore, it is vital that all supervisors stress to student employees the importance of being vigilant with e-mail security. If there is ever uncertainty of the validity of a message, please check with IT at support@optometry.osu.edu. Additionally, the one-page primer on easy ways to determine if a message is phishing can be found at I:\INFORMATION SYSTEMS\UNIVERSITY EMAIL SYSTEM. Please provide this primer to your students upon hire.