Western Washington University
10/13/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/13/2025 12:55
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month! Keep Your Data Safe — Use Sanctioned Apps Only
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October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month! Keep Your Data Safe - Use Sanctioned Apps Only
October 13, 2025
At Western, we handle a wide range of sensitive data-from student records and financial information to research and internal communications. Keeping that data safe starts with where you store and process it.
Why Sanctioned Apps Matter:
Sanctioned apps are tools that WWU's ITS and Purchasing/Contracts teams have vetted for security, compliance, and data protection. These include Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, OneDrive), Canvas, OnBase, Banner, and other approved platforms.
Using unsanctioned apps - especially generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Bard, or Claude - can put confidential data at risk. These tools may store or process your input in ways that violate privacy policies or expose sensitive information to third parties.
Remember that when an app is free, it just means you're paying for it with your data instead of your money.
What You Should Avoid:
- Uploading sensitive data to public AI tools: Never paste student records, internal documents, or proprietary research into AI chatbots unless explicitly approved.
- Using personal cloud storage: Avoid personal Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud for university data.
- Sharing files via personal email: Always use your WWU account and approved platforms.
Best Practices:
- Check the app list: Visit https://softwarecentral.wwu.edu for a list of approved and recommended applications.
- Ask before using: If you're unsure whether an app is safe, contact [email protected]. For AI-specific recommendations, check out https://aihub.wwu.edu or email [email protected].
- When in doubt, use Microsoft Copilot: WWU is piloting secure AI tools within Microsoft 365-these are safe for internal use and don't share data externally.
Protecting data isn't just a technical issue-it's a trust issue. Let's keep our community's information secure.
Western Washington University published this content on October 13, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 13, 2025 at 18:55 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]