The ITS Insider is the Help Desk newsletter featuring timely tech tips, resources, and events. This October, we’re celebrating Cybersecurity Awareness Month with weekly topics designed to help you stay safer and more secure online. Check back every Friday for new tips, and don’t forget to participate in our Question of the Week for a chance to win prizes!

Correct answers will be entered into our weekly raffle. We’ll wrap up the month with a Cybersecurity Awareness Month celebration complete with a cybersecurity awareness themed Escape Room, details on this will be forthcoming.

We’ll also announce our raffle winners at the end of the event. “7 Things I never do with my phone”: Cybersecurity tips from our CISO October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an annual campaign focused on helping individuals and organizations take simple, practical steps to stay safer online. While cybersecurity can sometimes feel like something that only concerns IT professionals, the reality is that we all play a role in protecting our information, accounts, and devices.

And these days, one of the most important devices to protect is the one that’s probably never more than a few feet away from you: your phone. So, we asked Bill Rosenbaum, Swarthmore’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), to share some of the things he never does with his phone and what he recommends doing instead. Here’s what he had to say: 1. I Never Use SMS Text Codes for Two-Factor Authentication If an account offers multiple options for two-factor authentication (2FA), Bill recommends choosing something more secure than receiving a code via text message. Instead: Use a passkey or authenticator app whenever possible.

Text messages can be vulnerable to phishing and SIM-swapping attacks, where someone tricks a cellular provider into transferring your phone number to a different device. 2. I Never Save Sensitive Passwords in My Phone’s Notes App Your Notes app might be convenient, but it’s not a password manager. Saving passwords, recovery codes, or other sensitive information in an ordinary note can make that information easier to access if someone gains access to your device or account.

Instead: Use a dedicated, encrypted password manager to securely store your passwords. 3. I Never Connect to Public Wi-Fi Without a VPN Free Wi-Fi at airports, coffee shops, hotels, and other public places can be convenient, but you shouldn’t automatically assume that every network is safe. Instead: For sensitive activities, use your cellular data or an encrypted VPN.

If you’re checking your bank account, accessing sensitive work information, or handling other private information while traveling, think twice before connecting to an unfamiliar network. 4. I Never Paste Work Data or Personal Information Into Public AI Chatbots Generative AI tools can be incredibly useful, but it’s important to think carefully about what information you’re putting into them. Instead: Treat information entered into free or public AI tools as something that could potentially be logged, stored, or exposed. That means avoiding sensitive work information, confidential data, passwords, personal information, or anything else you wouldn’t want shared outside of its intended audience.

5. I Never Ignore Software Update Prompts We’ve all seen the notification: “Update Available.” And we’ve all been tempted to hit Remind Me Later. But those updates aren’t just about getting new emojis or changing the look of an app.

Software updates frequently include security patches that address known vulnerabilities. Instead: Turn on automatic updates whenever possible and install updates when they’re available. 6. I Never Leave App Permissions Set to “Always Allow” Apps can request access to a surprising amount of information on your phone—including your location, microphone, camera, contacts, and photos.

But does every app really need access all the time? Instead: Regularly review your app permissions and choose the most restrictive setting that still allows the app to work properly. 7.

I Never Download Apps From Outside Official App Stores When you need a new app, it can be tempting to download it from a website offering a free version or a deal you can’t find elsewhere. But downloading apps from unofficial sources can increase your risk of installing malicious or compromised software. Instead: Stick to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and be cautious about what you install. Cybersecurity doesn’t always require complicated technology or technical expertise.

Sometimes, it’s about the small decisions we make every day. Question of the Week – Week One Think you’ve been paying attention this week? Put your knowledge to the test for a chance to win one of 3 prizes! Each week during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, ITS will share a Question of the Week based on the cybersecurity tips and information we’ve shared with the Swarthmore community. Submit your answer using this form! Answers for this week’s question will be accepted Friday through Thursday.

At the end of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’ll draw winners from the correct submissions. Winners will be announced at our End of Cybersecurity Month gathering! ITS Lunch & Learn – Fall 2026 Sessions Faculty and staff, mark your calendars for the upcoming Lunch & Learn sessions.

This Fall we highlight admin functions for Zoom Call Queues managers, Gemini, Google AI Studio, Password Managers and Keeper, CoPilot, and more. Grab your lunch and join ITS for the following mini training sessions via Zoom. The sessions are open to all Swarthmore faculty and staff, and will start at 12pm on the following dates. Each session will have 20-25 minutes of training followed by Q&A. To register or learn more about a session, click on the session link(s)

that you are interested in attending. - Oct 9, 2026 – Passwords, Perks, and Peace of Mind: Getting the Most Out of Keeper - Oct 23, 2026 – Gemini: Work Faster, Think Bigger: Google Gemini in Action - Nov 6, 2026 – Zoom AI: Make it Work for You More dates to come. We’ll send out a reminder the day before your scheduled session.

Follow us on Instagram Be sure to follow us on Instagram to stay abreast of the latest news, events, and timely tech related information. We’ll break up the monotany with humorous reels, trivia, and ITSA account takeovers. And, for the month of October new followers can receive a second entry into our Cyber Security Awareness Month Raffle when you answer the Question of the Week.