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Kategorie: ‘IT-Security’

Discontinuation of “Sophos Antivirus” – What You Have to Do Now

May 24th, 2023 | by
Drawing of a cloud surrounded by lock, shield, and wifi symbol

Source: Freepik

Within the framework of an NRW state license agreement, institutions of the RWTH Aachen University can use the virus scanner “Sophos Antivirus” as well as the corresponding management console “Sophos Enterprise Console” free of charge. In addition, members of the RWTH are allowed to use the software privately.

Now the company “Sophos” has discontinued the on-premises variants of its virus scanner as well as the management console “Sophos Enterprise Console” on July 20, 2023. Starting then, these products will no longer be provided with updates by the manufacturer. To find out if and/or how this is relevant to you, continue reading this blog post.

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WiFi News – Part 1: New Certificate for the RADIUS Server

May 17th, 2023 | by
Front view of smartphone and WiFi router

Source: Freepik

For the expiration of the server certificate of our authentication server radius.rz.rwth-aachen.de the certificate on the system will be exchanged on May 23, 2023. This has already been announced in the status message portal.

You will be affected by these changes the next time you log in to eduroam. What you have to do to continue using the WiFi, we explain in the following blog post.

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ADAM – Active Directory Campaign

May 15th, 2023 | by

The “Managed Service Active Directory” service has been officially discontinued by the end of 2023.

Red index card with a folder logo

Source: Freepik

There were several reasons for discontinuing this managed service. Among other things, the additional costs for the users, the high administrative maintenance effort and the insufficient scalability contributed to this decision.

Howevery, the IT Center of RWTH Aachen University already offers its facilities a far more advantageous alternative: the Active Directory for Workplace Management (ADAM for short).
After a three year project and pilot phase, during which the web interface and a security concept were designed, the managed service has now been introduced.

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World Backup Day – Back Up Your Data Today!

March 31st, 2023 | by
Laptop with backup lettering

Source: Own illustration

In an increasingly digitalized world where we create, exchange and store countless pieces of information every day, the topic of data backup is becoming more and more important. We all depend on our data, whether at work, in education or in our private lives. But this valuable information can be lost quickly, for example, due to technical failures, cyberattacks or even human error. The number of incidents in which companies and private individuals suffer data loss is increasing every year. An effective data protection strategy is therefore more important than ever before. Read the rest of this entry »

Increase Safety on Social Media

March 27th, 2023 | by
Social Media Icons

Source: Freepik

Social media has influenced and simplified our everyday lives in many ways. It allows us to quickly and easily stay in touch with friends and family, keep up with news and trends, and share our lives online. But using social media also comes with certain risks, especially when it comes to privacy and IT security.

In this blog post, we will explain how you can keep yourself safe and what you should pay special attention to when using social media. Read the rest of this entry »

Pentest: The Attacks That Increase Security

February 27th, 2023 | by
Man with hat in front of laptop

Source: Own illustration

Cyber attacks have become a normal part of daily business for companies and organisations, and the question of how to protect against these attacks is playing an increasingly important role. It is particularly important to understand how hackers carry out their attacks. For this reason, many companies and organisations are even voluntarily becoming targets by commissioning IT experts with so-called penetration tests. In this article, we will explain exactly how these tests are performed. Read the rest of this entry »

Safer Internet Day 2023

February 6th, 2023 | by

Whether at work, at university, or during leisure time – the Internet and digital devices have become an omnipresent part of everyday life for the majority of people. We surf the internet from anywhere, at any time of the day. The question that arises though is: How safe is our use of the new media actually?

Numerous studies have repeatedly shown that many users massively underestimate the dangers associated with the use of new media. Year after year, the press reports on numerous cyber attacks in which the naivety and ignorance of users often lead to serious consequences. There is consensus among experts on one point: the most effective way to strengthen IT security is to raise awareness and train each individual user. This is exactly what the global Safer Internet Day (SID) campaign aims to do. Read the rest of this entry »

Change-Your-Password-Day

February 1st, 2023 | by
Keyboard, notepad with password "12345" and combination lock on black background

Source: Freepik

Today is the official “change-your-password-day”. We would like to take this opportunity to once again draw attention to the importance of password security and have prepared a few tips for you.

Because hand on heart – when was the last time you changed your passwords?

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Protecting the HPC account with MFA

January 27th, 2023 | by
https://www.itc.rwth-aachen.de/cms/it-center/IT-Center/Profil/Team/~epvp/Mitarbeiter-CAMPUS-/?allou=1&gguid=0x592B0D17C73A1249AC2C233FADF6EE96&lidx=1

Protection of the HPC account
Source: Freepik

At least a little less than a dozen of Europe’s supercomputers were taken offline simultaneously in May 2020. Several university centres in Europe have been attacked by hackers and had to go offline. The unknown perpetrators hacked the accounts of the users in order to gain access to the supercomputers. Fortunately, our high-performance computer was not affected, but JURECA, JUWELS and JUDAC at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre, Hawk at the Stuttgart High Performance Computing Centre and the supercomputers at the Leibzig Computing Centre (LRZ), for example, fell victim to the attack.

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5 Tips on How to Keep Your Mobile Devices Safe

January 23rd, 2023 | by
Illustration of a smartphone

Source: Own illustration

They keep us connected at all times and in all places. They accompany us everywhere, wake us up, remind us of important appointments and provide us with entertainment. We are, of course, referring to smartphones. What was originally intended as a means of communication is now a calendar, camera, photo album, pocket watch, navigation device, pedometer and game console all in one. Even as most-used devices for Internet access, mobile devices have long since surpassed desktop computers. Smartphones are the very top of the list.

Mobile devices are practical everyday helpers, but they also hold a large amount of personal data, such as bank and credit card information. It is not uncommon for these end devices to even be used for two-factor authentication for bank transactions and other services. This makes them a popular target for hackers. With a few tips, you can effectively protect your mobile devices and the data stored on them. Read the rest of this entry »