Dear Colleagues,
As our work has mostly moved off campus, and we have taken our university owned computers and mobile devices home, we have an increased risk of bad actors trying to access data or disrupt our operations through digital means of attack. When we are all on campus, we are connected to the university’s network, where we have greater protection from these attacks. When we are off campus, working and learning from home, we are not protected as well. The attempts to compromise our data and operations are invisible to the security systems we have. In order to reduce the risk associated with such vulnerabilities, we plan to add some capabilities in the coming months.
The first and most foundational thing we are doing is installing a piece of software called CrowdStrike on university owned computers and devices, regardless of where they are being used. This software is similar to anti-virus software that you may already be using or are familiar with, which protects your computer from installation of unwanted and damaging software.
What to expect:
- Beginning in May, campus IT groups will begin deploying CrowdStrike to devices they support.
- In June, Technology Services, in coordination with campus IT groups, will deploy CrowdStrike to any remaining devices supported under the campus Endpoint Management Service.
- Webstore will make CrowdStrike available for download. Faculty and staff will be instructed to install on University owned devices that are not managed by IT Professionals in their respective colleges or units to install it themselves.
What Does CrowdStrike Do?
CrowdStrike detects malicious activity on a computer and prevents it from doing damage. Unlike traditional anti-virus software, CrowdStrike was designed not to impact the performance of the device it is installed on and it uses artificial intelligence and other cloud technologies to try to stay ahead of cyber threats.
CrowdStrike has been running on more than 5,000 devices for the past 8 months and there have been little to no reported technical issues with use. We have received some questions regarding CrowdStrike and privacy from colleagues. The intended use of CrowdStrike is to protect the University and individuals from security risks.
Please be assured that:
- All access to CrowdStrike data is governed by Section VI of the campus acceptable use policy (https://cam.illinois.edu/policies/fo-07/).
- Access to CrowdStrike data is limited to members of the University security team and select IT Professionals. All of whom have gone through privacy training and are required to follow University policy.
Additional Information:
Greg Gulick,
Interim Chief Information Officer