The majority of campus Windows desktops will have updates sent to them in the next day or so. For security reasons, campus computers are given an installation deadline for monthly patches. The installation deadline this month is Thursday, March 24th at 5:00pm. On Thursday at 5:00pm, if you have not installed this month’s patches, they will automatically begin installing, and when done, may reboot your computer. If your computer is off at the time of the deadline, updates will begin installing the next time you log in, and when done, may reboot your computer.

 We highly recommend that you install the patches as soon as you are prompted to do so, before the installation deadline. This way, you can be present when the computer needs to restart and you have more control over the restart timing, allowing you to save any open work. If you ignore the update messages you run the risk of updates being applied while you are not present and potentially having your computer restart and possibly even losing unsaved work.

Some non-Microsoft patches require web browsers to be closed, and may fail otherwise. If you have any updates fail, try closing any open browser windows and install again.

Campus deployed Identity Finder to all campus computers more than a year ago.  Identity Finder is a program that searches for Protected Level 1 data (such as SSNs, credit card numbers, and driver’s license numbers) in files such as Word, Excel, PDF, or email messages. More information about Identity Finder can be found at www.csuchico.edu/identityfinder.

Unprotected Level 1 data represents a major risk of identity theft for our current and former students.  Last year, more than 1,000 employees scanned their campus computer for other people’s confidential information.  Beginning Wednesday March 16^th Identity Finder will begin automatic scans of all campus PCs.

Most scans will take less than an hour (computers with many files, particularly PDFs, or multiple Outlook mailboxes will take longer) and should not interfere with your work. The Identity Finder scan will prepare a report for you to review and take action to address potential “identity matches” stored on your computer.  Identity Finder does not share, remove, or delete files that contain confidential data.  After the scan has been completed, it is up to you to use Identity Finder to delete (Shred), redact (Quarantine), or archive any potential results. More information about handling Identity Finder’s results is available at https://wiki.csuchico.edu/confluence/display/help/Handling+Search+Results.

Identity Finder frequently asked questions are available at https://wiki.csuchico.edu/confluence/display/help/Identity+Finder+FAQ.

Have you run Identity Finder Yet?

This is a reminder that campus computers need to be scanned for Level 1 data.  Instructions can be located at the following link: www.csuchico.edu/identityfinder.

Identity Finder protection is a two part process, Identity Finder needs to perform a scan much like an anti-virus software, and then you need to review the results of the scan.

Notification of Automated Identity Finder Scanning

This is a notification that Identity Finder software will be launched on your campus workstation and search for Level 1 protected data, such as social security and credit card numbers. Your assistance will still be required to review the results.  Beginning Wednesday March 16^th at 10:00 AM, Identity Finder scans will automatically scan your computer.

The CSUEU and the CFA have reviewed the Identity Finder deployment, and have recognized the importance and the value of this implementation to our security processes. Information Security has waited the amount of time agreed to with the unions to allow you to screen your workstation and files and to secure any personal information.

When Identity Finder Runs

You may see a notification when Identity Finder starts running and when it completes searching your workstation (see below):

Identity Finder runs in the background, but running a search on any system for the first time can take several hours. You can continue to work while Identity Finder searches your computer, but it may slow your computer’s performance.

IMPORTANT: Reviewing your Results

While finding Level 1 protected data is one of our responsibilities, our greatest responsibility is protecting the data of our faculty, staff, and students.

As you are aware, data breaches are often big news and can be very costly. Identity Finder is specifically designed to find personally identifiable information stored on your campus workstation and to provide you with a way to securely remove this data.

As a result, it is imperative for you to review the results of Identity Finder’s scan of your workstation.

A tutorial on handling your Identity Finder search results is available at https://wiki.csuchico.edu/confluence/display/help/Handling+Search+Results.

For more information on Identity Finder, please visit the Identity Finder website at www.csuchico.edu/identityfinder.