Data Security is the protection of data from unauthorized access, use, change, disclosure and destruction. UVa classifies data as either highly sensitive, moderately sensitive, or non-sensitive (public), and the requirements for data security are different for each one. The University Data Protection Standards provides guidance on the requirements for each type.
Make sure your data is safe in regards to:
Encryption offers protection by scrambling data, so only the owner of the key or password can read the data. This protects the confidentiality of the data so that if an unauthorized person gained access to the storage device or service, they would be unable to see the data. It also protects the integrity of the data so that it cannot be tampered with without the owner knowing it.
VPN: A VPN scrambles data as it is transmitted between your mobile device and a server. This allows you to access sensitive data securely stored on a remote server. UVa offers three types of VPNs for accessing UVa resources: the UVaAnywhere VPN, the UVa More Secure Network (MSN), and the High Security VPN.
Hard Drive: When you have no option other than to store sensitive data on your hard drive, and such storage has been approved, you must encrypt your hard drive or the relevant files on your hard drive. If you lose your computer or electronic media, the encryption will protect the data, and render it invisible to anyone but you, since you alone know the password.
Windows computers running Windows 10 should use the Bitlocker utility which can encrypt both full drives and folders. Information for computers that are running Windows 7 are available from Microsoft. FAQs for Windows 7. Mac computers should use the Disk Utility which can create encrypted folders, or FileVault which can encrypt full disks. Additional information about Disk Utility.
Additional information about protecting sensitive data and the options that are approved by UVa.