Securing the Human: Upgrade Your Human OS

During the second week of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the IT Services Security Team reminds users that a computer is only secure as the human who operates it.

Humans don't always evaluate risk accurately. For example, people tend to believe they are at greater risk of being killed by a shark even though they are more than twice as likely to be killed in a vending machine accident. When it comes to cyber security, people are afraid of getting caught up in a corporate high profile identity theft case, but are much more likely to fall victim to a phishing scam.

It's easy to get caught off guard in situations that are unfamiliar, and humans generally accept what they're told as true. Scams perpetrated through email, Facebook, Twitter, or over the phone, attack and exploit that vulnerability by preying on the public's trust.

University of Arkansas employees can learn to better evaluate cyber security risks by completing a new online course, Securing the Human. Faculty and full-time staff can access this course by logging into learn.uark.edu and clicking Securing the Human under the My Organizations Plus heading. See security.uark.edu for resources on keeping your university account and other personal information secure.