Department of Accounting and General Services

If you’re not familiar with the phrase “digital footprint”, it’s important that you become aware of what it is and how it impacts you. Digital footprint refers to the compilation of content on the Internet that can be associated with you and, thus, potentially available by anyone performing a search on you. The list of possible content visible online is endless: your family videos on YouTube, your comments on a news article or blog, vacation photos on Flickr, your posts on Facebook and Twitter.

The term “social engineering” refers to an attempt to gain access to information, primarily through misrepresentation, and often relies on the trusting nature of most individuals. Most users should be familiar with email phishing scams (a form of social engineering) and have been taught not to open attachments from unknown or untrusted sources or to visit untrusted web sites.