BearAware

Please, Please, Please remember the importance of staying safe online during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October and throughout the year! Whether you are a multi-platinum international music sensation, struggling college student, research professor, admissions counselor, executive assistant, librarian, IT professional, or play another supporting role at the university, cybercriminals are constantly on the hunt and after your personal information and Baylor’s institutional and research data. Their scams make us wonder why’d you have to go and make things so complicated? Create simple and safe habits by investigating before clicking email links or scanning QR codes, setting up multi-factor authentication wherever possible, and running the latest software updates on your devices. By being BearAware, you’ll be telling all your friends: Don’t you wish your passwords were strong like me?!

View our 2024 BearAware National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Campaign

Note: If you would like to use our cybersecurity awareness campaign assets at your institution, please contact HelpDesk+ at (254) 710-4357.

Follow these cybersecurity best practices all year long!

• Passwords
  A great password or passphrase enhanced by multi-factor authentication, such as Baylor's Duo two-factor authentication, is your first line of cyber defense.
• AI
  Be cautious with your information as you use new and emerging AI tools and resources.
• Phishing
  Learn how to recognize and avoid this most common form of cyberattack. Also, visit our Phish Free blog for examples of current phishing attempts at Baylor.
• Social Networking
  Connect and engage with friends and others online responsibly using these helpful tips!
• Data Security
  With more of us spending more time online, we need to be vigilant about securing the data accessed by and stored on our devices.
• Ransomware
  Be aware of this common form of cyberattack
• Backups
  Make sure you back up your most vital, personal data to protect yourself against hardware failure, a lost flash drive, or other forms of data loss.
• Prior BearAware Campaigns
  A look back at past BearAware campaigns from 2007 to the present!

For more cybersecurity tips, visit Stay Safe Online and Secure Our World, two helpful sites produced by the National Cybersecurity Alliance and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

BearAware is Baylor's cybersecurity awareness initiative. Throughout the year, BaylorITS keeps our community BearAware of the latest information on security threats through cybersecurity alerts, our @BaylorITS Twitter (X) account, and the Baylor ITS Facebook page.