26.11.2020

Computer security: understand and (re)act!

Security

The Restena Foundation publishes a new series of publications to educate people operating in the research or education sector in Luxembourg on key thematic areas. Its first three ‘tip sheets’ focus on computer security issues and provide information about cyberattacks, passwords, spam and phishing.

With its tip sheets, a new series of publication, the Restena Foundation raises awareness on key thematic areas among members of the research and education community in Luxembourg. The first tip sheets, posted online on its website in November 2020, are published as part of the awareness-raising activities on computer security issues carried out by its Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT)dedicated to the research and education community in Luxembourg. The tips sheets now available cover three main topics:

  • How to react in the event of a cyberattack, with a focus on procedures and legal investigation, as well as recommendations for effectively contributing to an investigation (tip sheet 'From a cyberattack to data acquisition’);
  • The importance of having a strong password, with information on what is a strong password and how to create one, recommendations on how to keep a password safe from hackers and a description of the main password attacks (tip sheet ‘Carefully select a password’);
  • The growing and invasive phenomenon of spam and phishing messages, with a description of the main spam and phishing categories, tips and recommendations to not only recognise spam but also to protect its privacy (tip sheet 'Spam & phishing messages').

These tip sheets, the first three in a growing series, are a re-edition of content initially produced in 2015-2016 in the then existing Restena newsletters, a newsletter that has since been brought up to date in June 2020 under the name 'Restena NEWS'. They are part of an awareness-raising approach to which the organisation of awareness-raising and best practices events play a major role. The upcoming event, called Data Privacy Day, places great emphasis on data confidentiality and protection on a European and international level. It will be organised on 28 January 2021, in partnership with the University of Luxembourg, on the occasion of the European Data Protection Day.