Cyber attacks and what you can do

You may have seen coverage in the national media recently about an ‘impending global cyber attack’ - whilst technical buffs will know minor attacks are the daily norm, from time to time a serious one like this comes along and it reminds us to be vigilant about securing our technology. 

It is imperative that all staff remember that personal or non-Trust owned devices cannot be connected to any Trust network and/or workstation, unless explicitly authorised by the IT team. This includes, but is not limited to, the following: 

• Connecting your mobile phone / tablet to any desktop or laptop via a USB cable, even if it’s only to charge the device.
• Personal laptops or mobile devices plugged into the Trust network or connecting to the secured wireless network (EASTAMB / EAAMBSecure) – this does not include using the guest wireless facility, but certain policies still apply to its use.
• Using personal USB drives (memory sticks) on any Trust workstation, whether it is encrypted or non-encrypted. Only Trust issued USB drives are allowed to be used on Trust workstations, unless authorised by the IT team.

This list is not exhaustive and staff are encouraged to familiarise themselves with all IMT policies and procedures, which can be found on East24.

Please do not share any logon information, passwords, smart cards or any personal security information with anyone. The IT team or anyone else claiming to work for the Trust will never ask for your password or sensitive information. 

If you receive an email from an unknown source with suspicious attachments or links within the email, simply delete it! Please also report it to the IT service desk.

For more information and what you can do to at home please visit GetSafeOnline, a government backed initiative for online security and advice.