OneIT advances digital security with Cisco

Every day, a quarter of a million malicious emails target University inboxes. With Cisco solutions, OneIT Security helps shield UNC Charlotte from increasing cyber threats.

“Faculty and staff play an active role in securing data,” said Jesse Beauman, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Enterprise Infrastructure.

Cisco’s Email Security feature will help faculty and staff spot phishing, spam, and malware, in part by identifying external senders (outside the @uncc domain) as just that—[EXTERNAL]. Beginning October 20, 2020, the [EXTERNAL] tag will show in the subject line, and a note will display in the body text of relevant emails to faculty and staff.

Email Security will also analyze incoming messages for untrusted attachments, that is, those with tell-tale identifiers, such as a low reputation score against Cisco’s database of offenders.

“Email tags will provide faculty and staff with a clear indication that a sender or the content could be dangerous,” said Mac McGaughy, Chief Information Security Officer. “No matter the subject line, the community should continue to forward any suspicious emails to spam@uncc.edu.”

Beyond email tags, OneIT Security tackles thousands of threats unseen by community members. Cisco’s Umbrella solution thwarts cybercriminals trying to send employees to fake websites 5,000 times daily and growing. Using Cisco’s Advanced Malware Protection (AMP), OneIT guards against the 1,000 times a day cybercriminals deploy software to take over devices, services, or networks. A solution named Stealthwatch deters an additional 500 daily attempts to steal data.

In all, the community will defend against 100 million cyberattacks projected FY ‘20-’21. Faculty and staff can assist by forwarding suspicious emails to spam@uncc.edu and by completing Security Awareness training.