Because of enhancements to UTMB’s Information Security Program, specific security incidents are continuing to trend downward. Employees should be reminded that Information Security closely monitors actions such as unauthorized access to patient records; copyright violations from the Motion Picture and Recording Industry Associations; non-secure transmission of confidential data; and access of inappropriate or offensive content over the Internet.

While UTMB has made great strides in information security, there are a few areas that still have room for improvement. Since June 2012, UTMB has seen 400-500 computers each month which are infected by viruses. We also routinely see users releasing their own personal data such as personal credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, tax records and other types of personal data being submitted to websites, or emailed in a non-secure way.
 
Here’s what you can do to protect your personally identifiable data from being stolen:
  • Only shop with well-known online stores. Ensure that the webpage that you’re typing your credit card information into starts with an HTTPS://. “S” means that it’s secure. It should also have a lock at the end of the address bar.
  • If you’re sending confidential personal information via email, do not put the sensitive information in the body of the email. Put it in a word document and secure it using features that are built into Microsoft Word. To secure a word document, all you have to do is go to File | Info, click the button “Protect Document” and enter a password.
  • Use iSpace to securely share information with colleagues and collaborators outside the UTMB domain. Contact the Helpdesk if you need assistance using iSpace.
  • UTMB’s Information Security program involves all of us, so please adhere to these simple rules to keep up the good work.