This October marks the 20th anniversary of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a global effort to raise awareness about the importance of digital security and promote good habits to stay safe online. 

While cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility, UNLV is helping students, faculty, and staff better protect themselves and the university from hackers with tips and activities this month.

LastPass High Security Score Competition

One of the activities is a high security score challenge. Since LastPass is free to the campus community, employees and student workers who sign up for a free business account through Oct. 30 can increase their security score and be automatically entered into a drawing to win prizes. Ten winners will be chosen by the Information Security Office on Nov. 1.

Scarlet & Gray "Haunted" Homecoming Parade

Cybersecurity-themed floats will be in the Scarlet & Gray “Haunted” Homecoming Parade on Oct. 18. As the pirate ships set sail for a bounty of data at 7:30 p.m., the Office of Information Technology and the Office of Online Education will show attendees how to avoid phishing scams.

More Cybersecurity Best Practices

Since it’s easy to manage medical records and banking information online, campus information security experts recommend turning on multifactor authentication (MFA) for extra security. MFA confirms a user’s identity when they log into an account by entering a code that’s sent to their mobile device.

In recent years, MFA has become a requirement to log into services with an ACE account. UNLV offers the Okta Verify mobile app as the fastest way to log into university email, MyUNLV, and other campus applications (which is now easier to set up with the Okta Verify EZ Enroll process).

Regularly updating software on devices is another best practice. These updates often contain security fixes and can be installed automatically as long as automatic updates are turned on in the device’s or application’s settings.

UNLV information security experts urge students, faculty, and staff to share their cybersecurity knowledge with their family and friends. Employees can also become cybersecurity liaisons to improve digital security and keep peers updated with new information and tips. Helping people embrace good security habits can go a long way in making the digital world a safer place.

The various tips, campus events, and high security score guidelines for Cybersecurity Awareness Month are available online.

More information can be found on the UNLV cybersecurity page.