Working from home now more than ever increases cyber security risk. The protective controls that are available on the university network are no longer protecting you, so increased diligence is required on your part in order to mitigate the increased risk.

At a minimum please ensure you are practicing the following 3 important steps to securely work from home:

1. Uninstall all rarely used third party software and apply security updates to your operating system and all remaining applications you do use on a regular basis.  Check weekly or bi-weekly for additional security updates as they are released frequently whenever vulnerabilities are discovered.  If you are required to use Forticlient VPN, please use the Vulnerability Scan feature prior to connecting which will identify what needs updating.
2. Ensure any device you use to access institutional data has Endpoint Protection Software installed (e.g. Anti-virus or Anti-malware and Firewall).  Security: Protecting Yourself Against Viruses and Malware
3. Use a password manager to ensure that all your passwords are complex and unique!  Never reuse or share your OCAD credentials on any third party site or service and always pause to verify when signing on to https://my.ocadu.ca or https://365.ocadu.ca or https://login.ocadu.ca.

The following is a summary of available resources and guidelines to help you with your cyber security responsibilities:

Knowledgebase : IT Security
IT Security: BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Security Guide

Additional Online Resources

CIRA Canadian Shield: Free enterprise-grade protection for all Canadians

Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: Protect Your Organization From Malware

SANS: Creating a Cyber Secure Home