Category Archives: General

A default category for posts that don’t seem to fit into a more specific area.

Keeping Secret Google Meetings Secret

Posted on 2019-10-02 by mike

It is possible that some people are unaware (certainly I wasn’t; at least not this week) that it is possible that information about meetings can be seen not by looking at someone’s shared diary but looking at the room booked. … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Keeping Secret Google Meetings Secret

‘Shoulder Surfing’ or Is Your Screen Showing Others Information It Shouldn’t?

Posted on 2019-09-11 by mike

Every time I travel by train during working hours, I get reminded of the old “shoulder surfing” attack; a surprising number of people are working away on their laptops seeming unaware that anyone peaking over their shoulders has a good … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | Comments Off on ‘Shoulder Surfing’ or Is Your Screen Showing Others Information It Shouldn’t?

DNS Firewalls: What They Are, and What They’re Not

Posted on 2019-06-27 by mike

This posting is really a description of so-called “DNS Firewalls” intended for those who have to deal with security vendors regularly. Having said that, there are DNS firewalls for home users (I cannot make any specific recommendations), so it may … Continue reading →

Posted in Firewall, General | Tagged | Comments Off on DNS Firewalls: What They Are, and What They’re Not

University Passes Cybersecurity Re-assessment

Posted on 2019-04-12 by mike

After a great deal of work from a number of people, the University has successfully renewed our CyberEssentials Plus certification. This means :- We are assured that we have met a level of IT security. Not that it means we … Continue reading →

Posted in General, News | Tagged | Comments Off on University Passes Cybersecurity Re-assessment

There Is No Such Thing As A Secure Web Site

Posted on 2019-01-25 by mike

On the left-hand side of the location bar, your browser will show you something like :- Which is entirely correct and incorrect at the same time. To be precise, what that little label (and the alternative green one) means is … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | Comments Off on There Is No Such Thing As A Secure Web Site

The New GlobalProtect VPN Client

Posted on 2018-11-16 by mike

The new GlobalProtect VPN client will be made live in the coming weeks. This version has a number of usability enhancements (it looks prettier), so it is worth documenting those visibility changes. The task bar icon has changed and shows … Continue reading →

Posted in General, VPN | Comments Off on The New GlobalProtect VPN Client

Using The VPN For General Internet Protection

Posted on 2018-11-15 by mike

Using the VPN is generally seen as a way of using UoP services remotely in a relatively safe way, but it does actually offer another advantage for using generic Internet services – because the VPN goes through the UoP firewall, … Continue reading →

Posted in Firewall, General | Tagged , | Comments Off on Using The VPN For General Internet Protection

How to spot a phishing email

Posted on 2018-11-01 by robbie

It claims that there is an important meeting, and contains a link for details.  The email may even use your name (so called ‘spear-phishing’).  However, the link provided leads to a fake website designed to capture your login details so … Continue reading →

Posted in Email, General | Tagged | Comments Off on How to spot a phishing email

Checking The Safety of Websites

Posted on 2018-10-05 by mike

With all the different dodgy web sites out there, and all the emails trying to encourage us to visit them, it is perhaps time to look at some web sites that can be used to check the trustworthiness of web … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Comments Off on Checking The Safety of Websites

Think Work, Think VPN

Posted on 2017-08-23 by mike

We are encouraging everyone who works remotely to immediately start up a VPN connection (to our VPN of course!) whenever they start working remotely. This is for a variety of reasons, but includes :- Any on site services that you might … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | Comments Off on Think Work, Think VPN