Author: Melissa Sanchez
Melissa is a student employee with Technology Services and is a senior at Illinois majoring in Communications.
During the spookiest month of the year, it is important to keep in mind all the ways to stay safe online. Cindy McKendall has spent four years teaching students and staff how to do just that. As a senior cybersecurity training specialist with Technology Services, Cindy spends her time planning and leading cybersecurity training and brainstorming new ways to get important knowledge out on campus. This is especially true during October, which is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, as Cindy shares events and information that students can use throughout the month.
What does a senior cybersecurity training specialist do on campus?
I teach people what they can do to be safer online and I run the employee cybersecurity training program, which reaches about 17,000 people on the Urbana-Champaign campus, the Springfield campus, System Offices and Extension offices across the state of Illinois.
Most cybersecurity training happens online, but training is only part of the puzzle when it comes to making the University of Illinois safer. In addition to training, we incorporate outreach, communications, and events to drive behavior change on an individual level and, ultimately, culture change at the institutional level.
What’s a typical day look like for you?
I’m planning ahead for the next round of online training or an upcoming specialized training session. Sometimes that comprises learning more about a specific cybersecurity topic or threat, and it often involves writing or brainstorming and then managing a lot of small tasks associated with the next training session/module.
What do you feel has been one of your biggest accomplishments in this role?
Launching the employee cybersecurity training program in 2021. The program continues to evolve and grow in reach and impact, which is gratifying.
Best tech tip for students?
Use a password manager. It’s worth the hassle of setting it up! It will keep you safer and make your life easier, because you only have to remember one password. The university’s preferred password manager is Bitwarden, and Bitwarden is free. You can create a free Bitwarden account at their website.
What is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and why is it important?
Cybersecurity Awareness Month has been around for 20 years. It’s a collaboration between government and private industry to raise awareness about digital security and empower everyone to protect themselves from digital forms of crime. For our team, it’s a great opportunity to generate enthusiasm about cybersecurity and reach people around the university in new ways.
What on-campus events are being held for Cybersecurity Awareness Month?
I’m so excited about Cybersecurity Awareness Month this year! We have a mixture of online and in-person events, and it’s all about games. We have an online game called Passwordle that reaches the trifecta of being challenging, fun and educational all at once. We have cybersecurity-themed escape rooms that are being held in-person at the Main Library and at DCL on October 9 and October 10, as well as an online escape room available October 13 to19.
One of my favorite events is the Phish Market, on October 23 at Campus Instructional Facility from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. At the Phish Market, people learn about phishing and play carnival games to win prizes. This is our third year holding the Phish Market, and it’s always a lot of fun. At the end of the month, the University of Illinois is participating in an online cybersecurity trivia game show called Level Up Your Cyber Game. We’ll be competing against other Big 10 schools like Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Purdue, Rutgers, Indiana and Ohio State.
I’ve been heavily involved in planning this event, and I’m thrilled to see the plans coming to fruition! It’s sponsored by the Big 10 Academic Alliance and the National Cybersecurity Alliance. I’d love to see a strong showing from Illinois. It’s over Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. on October 30. Register and join the fun!
Is there anything else about cybersecurity or Cybersecurity Awareness Month that students should know?
I am an expert in….
The band Crowded House. They’ve been my favorite band since I was a teenager, and I’ve seen them perform almost 20 times over the years. They toured the United States this fall, and I was lucky enough to follow them across the Midwest for a week. I went to three shows (plus a soundcheck) in four days. I know every song, the history of the band and all sorts of useless trivia about them.
What did you study in college or what was your favorite subject in school and why?
In college I majored in mathematics and minored in cinema studies. These are two very different subjects, but the combination satisfied my need for balance between the logical side and the creative side of my brain.
Fun fact about yourself?
I’ve visited 46 out of 50 states. Only New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alaska are left. I turn 50 soon and plan to travel to those remaining states in the next year while I’m 50.
“Behind the Screens” is a series of stories highlighting a different member of Technology Services each month so that you can get to know who we are and what we do for our university.