MacEwan ITS is constantly working to improve our cyber security. We strive to do so without restricting MacEwan’s creativity or effectiveness.

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, and on October 15 we are introducing a small change to the way faculty and staff Windows accounts will operate on MacEwan managed desktops and laptops.

Currently all MacEwan faculty and staff are “local administrators” on their MacEwan Windows computers. With this level of privilege, MacEwan users have the freedom to install new software without ITS support or intervention. This level of privilege also brings with it added risk since users could inadvertently run malicious software which will also have administrator level access to their system.

Rather than removing “local administrator” privileges from faculty and staff, MacEwan ITS is implementing a change that adds a further level of protection to tasks that require administrator rights. On October 15, MacEwan Windows computers will start prompting for users to enter their username and password in order to perform actions that require administrator privileges. This change will ensure users can still perform the tasks they need to while also highlighting actions that may be harmful to their system.

For example, if you are installing software from a known reputable vendor, you will be prompted for credentials and the installation can continue once you have provided them. On the other hand, you may see the same prompt for credentials if you open a Word attachment in an email that has malicious code embedded in it. This will give you the opportunity to cancel before the malicious code has a chance to run.

Enjoy the Fall weather and Cyber Security Awareness Month. If you are prompted for your Windows credentials after October 15 when you don’t expect to be, cancel the prompt and contact MacEwan Tech Support!

From IT Security