Cyber security tools tailored to your role

Published: October 16, 2024

People in different roles in the university using digital technologies

As we move into week three of our Cyber Security Awareness Month campaign, we will be highlighting tools you can add to your cyber security toolkit as you navigate the digital world. The University provides a wide array of services and resources designed to meet your specific needs. While these tools are beneficial for everyone, what you need may depend on the specific role you play at the University.

For the researcher:

You want to focus on your research, but navigating sponsor cyber security requirements can be challenging.

Here are some tools to help reduce the administrative burden so you can concentrate on your research:

Consultation sessions: Schedule a one-on-one session with a cyber security expert to get personalized advice and support.
Office hours: Attend “Cyber Security and Your Research” office hours. These sessions provide an opportunity for researchers and support staff to ask questions, gain deeper insights into safeguarding intellectual property and research data, and learn about new and existing initiatives, resources and supports available to secure research.
Information Security Handbook: Access practical and actionable advice on common cyber security queries through U of T’s Information Security Handbook.
Data classification guidance for research: Use the data classification decision tool for research to get practical guidance on how to classify research data and decide the best ways to protect them.

For the administrator:

You play a crucial role in ensuring that University operations and business processes run smoothly. Your work with large data sets drives operations, informs decision-making and fosters innovation and competitive advantage.

Here are some tools that can help you make informed decisions about safeguarding your critical data and digital assets:

Data classification: Learn how to classify the data you work with U of T’s Data Classification Guidance. This will enable you to make informed choices to adequately protect the confidentiality and integrity of your data.
Digital asset classification: Classify your digital assets based on their availability requirements and classification level of the data involved. Knowing what digital assets are most critical for your operations can help drive decisions related to business continuity and disaster recovery. Review U of T’s Digital Asset Classification Standard to learn more.
Information Security Handbook: Access practical and actionable advice on common cyber security queries through U of T’s Information Security Handbook.
Data protection actions: Discover actions you can take to protect the data you collect and handle within your department: Building trust through data protection: How to safeguard information at U of T.

For the scholar:

You want to have the best experience as you soak up knowledge and engage with peers and educators. However, as you navigate the digital world, you might be concerned about cyberbullying, fraud and other online threats.

Here are some tools to help enhance your experience at the University:

Report phishing: Learn how to identify and report phishing attempts to protect yourself and others.
Password manager: Use a password manager to create and store strong, unique passwords for all your accounts. Take advantage of the 1Password password manager provided by U of T to all students at no cost.
Fraud prevention: Protect yourself against digital fraud by learning about fraud prevention strategies.
Student information security resources: Access curated cyber security information for students to empower yourself with the knowledge and tools needed to protect against security threats.
Student information collection: Learn how the University collects, uses and protects your information.

For the IT professional:

As the force behind the scenes, you protect and manage IT systems and networks so that critical services and operations are not interrupted and classes, research and University activities can proceed smoothly.

Here are some tools to help you safeguard the systems that you manage:

Security controls standard: Access U of T’s Security Controls Standard that sets the security baseline for the University and provides a comprehensive list of safeguards to help you secure your data and systems.
Center for Internet Security (CIS) guidance: Use your U of T account for complimentary access to CIS guidance on securely configuring your digital assets.
Incident response plan: Refer to the incident response plan and use it as a template for creating your unit-specific plan.
Incident response plan testing: Utilize the tabletop-as-a-service platform to conduct on-demand tabletop exercises anytime, anywhere, ensuring your team is prepared for real incidents.
Operational technology security guidelines: Access guidelines specifically for securing operational technology.
Vulnerability management guidelines: Build your unit-specific vulnerability management program using U of T’s Vulnerability management guidelines.
Digital certificates: Request digital certificates to encrypt data to and from your web browser and websites through U of T’s TLS certificates service.

The digital world does not have to be a scary place. While there may be many threats and unknowns lurking in cyber space, we can focus on building digital trust and creating trust-based experiences for our community. This way, our scholars, researchers, academics and staff can feel safe when using the University’s infrastructure, systems and resources.

For latest information security tools and resources, continue to visit U of T’s Information Security website.

News & updates

News & updates

News & updates