The current situation has left millions of people around the world to work from home. Users deal with both work and personal issues using several online communication platforms. However, if they are not university tools, there may be some risks associated with their use.
We recommend mainly using the IT technologies that MUNI provides as an official university service. These are mostly Office 365 tools, which also include the Microsoft Teams videoconference platform. It offers advanced security, thanks to which data is encrypted both during transmission and in the storage.
We recommend using alternative communication platforms only in cases where it is not possible to make full use of Microsoft Teams tools for communication purposes, and the communication does not contain sensitive information.
During the pandemic situation, the Zoom service became a very discussed communication tool, which is a tool enabling videoconference with several functions. This is the reason why the service has become a frequent target for attackers. The National Cyber Security Center (NCKB) warns in its warning of many vulnerabilities in this service. These vulnerabilities are already fixed in the current version, but may still threaten the older versions of Zoom.
If you decide to use the Zoom service, we recommend for more information studying the statement of the CESNET association, which provides this facility to universities.
Our CSIRT-MU cybersecurity team monitors users' security worries related to the use of this platform. Zoom has set the following security recommendations for using the service:
Security issues are not limited only to this platform, which has entered the media. Caution is warranted when using any communication tools. For your safety, you will always do better if you use a product with which Masaryk University has a contractual relationship, i.e., the rules of use and data protection are, in fact, not governed only by a unilateral statement by the service provider.
As of 1 August 2024, the ESRI ArcGIS Desktop licence, which was previously available to all MU employees and students, will no longer be available at Masaryk University. As an alternative, we recommend switching to the more modern ArcGIS Pro, which offers a modern user interface, greater stability, more advanced features and better user support.
Do you want to know the news about Microsoft 365 tools used at the university? What changes and improvements await us in 2024? We have prepared a webinar for you, where we will not only summarize all the current information, but also look at tips on how to work (together) more securely and efficiently in Microsoft 365.
