[Pols-l] Fwd: Whole Disk Encryption for KU-owned Faculty and Staff Laptops

Fri Feb 24 12:40:24 CST 2017

FYI...

Don Haider-Markel
Sent via flying drone

Begin forwarded message:

From: KU Information Technology <infotechnology at ku.edu<mailto:infotechnology at ku.edu>>
Date: February 23, 2017 at 12:56:13 PM CST
To: KU Information Technology <infotechnology at ku.edu<mailto:infotechnology at ku.edu>>
Subject: Whole Disk Encryption for KU-owned Faculty and Staff Laptops

Deans, Directors and Department Chairs,

I am writing to ask for your assistance to better protect personal, departmental and University data. The IT Security Office and IT Workstation Support are working together to encrypt the hard drives of all KU-owned laptops. Your unit's TSC staff will be reaching out for your help in prioritizing laptops for encryption. If you need additional assistance with prioritization, IT Security Office staff is happy to consult with you.

Whole Disk Encryption is an essential step in protecting the data on laptops if the device is lost or stolen. It gives you and the University the ability to say with confidence that no data on the device can be accessed or disclosed. To put it simply, Whole Disk Encryption can turn a laptop theft into a far less traumatic event. It eliminates the need for difficult investigations, expensive fines and embarrassing disclosures. For these reasons and more, encryption is required for all KU-owned faculty/staff laptops.

Below are some questions you, and your faculty and staff, may have about Whole Disk Encryption:

Will I have to remember a special login for my encrypted laptop?
No. You will log in to your laptop as you do now, with your KU Online ID and password. You will not have to do anything differently on your encrypted laptop. Once installed, the Whole Disk Encryption should be completely transparent when using your laptop.

I already have encrypted email. Do I need this?
Yes. While both are encryption technologies, digital certificates only protect the email messages you encrypt. Whole Disk Encryption protects your entire hard drive and all the data on it.

I never carry sensitive data with me. Do I need this?
Yes. While many of us think we never access sensitive data, or store it on our laptops, this is rarely the case. Think of Whole Disk Encryption as an insurance policy-your hard drive is protected, even if you think none of your data is sensitive.

Does this mean that the data on my laptop can never be stolen?
No. While Whole Disk Encryption does stop a thief from pulling the hard drive out of your laptop and downloading the data, malware can still infect your computer and steal data while you are using it. Whole Disk Encryption is just one layer of security we use to protect sensitive data.

I only have a desktop computer, but I would still like to have it encrypted. Can I do that?
While we are asking TSC staff to prioritize encrypting laptops due to them being more vulnerable to theft, your TSC staff can encrypt your desktop computer's hard drive at your request.

I appreciate your assistance in working with TSC Staff to prioritize laptops for encryption in your unit. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Julie C. Fugett, CISSP
IT Security Officer
KU Information Technology
The University of Kansas
Email jcf at ku.edu<mailto:jcf at ku.edu>
Office +1 785 864 0490
Fax +1 785 864 0485
She/Her/Hers

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: winmail.dat
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 11758 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <https://lists.ku.edu/pipermail/pols-l/attachments/20170224/be8003a6/attachment.bin>