As students are learning exclusively online and many employees are becoming more familiar with working from home and video conferencing, the University of Houston-Downtown’s Office of Information Technology is providing a few helpful security reminders.

With Zoom video technology and chat becoming a regular resource in the virtual classroom and workplace, experts say it's imperative to regularly install periodic updates as prompted to deter bugs or security issues.

“Recently, Zoom has released several important updates to its software that address potential vulnerabilities and bug fixes,” said Hossein Shahrokhi, UHD’s associate vice president and chief information officer. “Make sure that you have the most updated and secure version and install all required updates of the software as they occur.”

Hossein also suggests the Zoom Cloud Conferencing section of the UHD website and Securing Your Zoom Virtual Classroom Virtual Classroom page as helpful resources. He also stressed the importance of students providing their most updated contact information, which can be done through the student portal at myuhd.uhd.edu.

In addition, the University of Houston System shared the following technology safety tips:

• Protect Yourself – Be aware that criminals are looking to take advantage of the COVID-19 crisis. Don’t fall victim to scams selling fake test kits or offering to “help” you get stimulus checks. Never give out your personal information or click on links or attachments in email messages. Only visit official websites (CDC, FDA, etc.) by directly entering the Web address.
• Protect Your Accounts – Use separate passwords for each of your accounts. For example, don’t use the same password on your university account as your social media account or banking account. Use strong passwords and passphrases whenever possible.
• Protect Your Devices – Ensure phones, tablets, laptops are all kept updated with the latest software updates. Don’t forget to update your applications, such as Adobe, Office, etc., too!
• Protect Your Home Network – Change the default passwords on your Wi-Fi routers and other home devices.
• Protect University Data – Be sure that you are following all appropriate procedures to protect university data and comply with record retention requirements.

For more information, visit UHD Information Security. To report incidents or issues, contact security@uhd.edu or call 713-221-5730.