What is Carbon Black?

In response to the cyber attack, UM has taken proactive security measures. One of these measures is the installation of the Carbon Black security tool. This programme runs on all Windows servers and workstations (desktops, laptops, VDI) that fall under the UM domain (for which you have to log in with your UM username and password). Carbon Black is being used in conjunction with the regular virus scanner that UM already uses, with the advantage that threats can be detected faster. The tool monitors specific activity on a computer to enable early detection if malicious parties try to gain access to that computer or to the entire UM network.

What does it mean for your privacy?

Carbon Black cannot access your personal information. Just as a virus scanner scans the files you work on or the websites you visit, so does Carbon Black. The monitoring software examines metadata, such as IP addresses. If it detects an IP address that hackers use, it will set off the alarm bells. In other words, UM is using Carbon Black to detect security incidents, and it does not monitor the behaviour of individual employees or to look into their files.

Symposium for invited guests; livestream available

Preparations for the symposium on 5 February are in full swing. The meeting is intended to share the recent experiences of UM and, by extension, to start the public conversation about the tension in higher education between the openness and accessibility that academia requires and the ‘closedness’ it needs to protect itself against cyber crime. Attendance at the symposium is by invitation only and is primarily reserved for parties related to the content of the symposium and for representatives of the media. There will also be a livestream connection, so that anyone who is interested can follow along. The address of this livestream will be communicated as soon as it is available.