York College Information Technology - Cyber Awareness Month

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an international initiative that helps everyone take simple steps to stay safe online. This year's theme is “Don't Make It Easy for Them” — a reminder that building good cybersecurity habits and practicing them consistently can make life more difficult for cybercriminals.

 

Week 2 – Enable Multi-Factor Authentication Everywhere


A password alone may not be enough to protect your accounts. Multi-factor authentication provides an additional layer of security by requiring another method of verification when you sign in.

At CUNY, MFA helps protect University systems and services. CUNY Login MFA is used for applications such as CUNYfirst and Brightspace, while Microsoft MFA protects access to Microsoft 365 services. Whenever MFA is available for your personal accounts, enable it there as well.

Cyber Awareness Month: Helpful MFA Tips:

·         Enable MFA wherever it is available, particularly on accounts containing personal, financial, or sensitive information.

·         Never share your password or MFA passcode with anyone.

·         Never approve an MFA request you did not initiate, and carefully verify any number, location, or application information displayed before approving the request. For example, if you receive an MFA approval request when you are not trying to sign in, deny the request and report it to your college IT office. This could mean someone is attempting to access your account.

·         For Microsoft MFA at CUNY, set up more than one authentication method when possible so you have a backup if your primary method is unavailable. CUNY lists Microsoft Authenticator as the most convenient second-factor option.

·         Finally, remember to switch your MFA if you are getting a new phone before discarding the old phone.

MFA Resources:

·         CUNY Microsoft Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)

·         CUNY Cybersecurity Awareness Month

·         CISA – Turn On MFA

Facts & Figures

Insights from the Oh Behave! Cybersecurity Attitudes and Behaviors Report: 2021–2025 (National Cybersecurity Alliance & CybSafe) are as follows:


·         Awareness of multi-factor authentication (MFA) increased from 52% in 2021 to 77% in 2025.

·         Despite increased awareness, regular MFA use was only 53% in 2025.

 

At York College, the only way to login into CUNYfirst, BrightSpace or Microsoft 365 is through MFA. While this is a good practice it does not mean we are 100% guaranteed never to have an incident. We must continue to be vigilant and cyber-aware.

Cyber Security Training

As part of our ongoing commitment to safeguarding your digital well-being, please schedule some time to take the CyberSecurity Training Certificate Course. Use your CUNYfirst credentials to log in to Brightspace for this course.

Security Awareness & Reporting

For additional Security Awareness resources, visit Awareness.

 

To report suspicious emails or spam, use the yellow banner address that accompanies all emails originating outside of CUNY at reportspam@PROTECTED. For other online or browsing threats, contact our Service Desk at helpdesk@PROTECTED.

 

Additional references: U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and National Cyber Security Alliance (NCA).

 

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Kazi Islam, our Information Security Manager.

Greg Vega

Assistant Vice President / Chief Information Officer

York College Information Technology

“Take Control of Your Digital Life”

 

 

                                                           


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