By Shannon Glennon, AI Technology Transformation Specialist, Syracuse University ITS
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a yearly reminder to build the small habits that keep your accounts and information safe. It’s a good time to talk about Claude, because it does more than answer questions now. It can connect to your email and files, browse websites and work in folders on your computer. That’s why these habits are worth a refresh.
- Sign in with your NetID
Use your Syracuse University NetID and password every time you open Claude. That keeps your chats under the University’s agreement with Anthropic, which prohibits training the model with your data. A personal or free account doesn’t get that protection, so keep University work out of those.
- Share only what the task needs
In Cowork, point Claude at a single folder instead of everything, since it can edit and delete whatever it can see. Anthropic’s Cowork safety guide has more tips.
- Know how your data is handled
The University’s AI data and privacy page explains how Claude treats your information. The Claude FAQ covers topics like who owns what you put in and what Claude creates.
- Stick to approved tools
The ITS AI guidelines list the tools approved for University data. If you add plugins or extensions to Claude, choose verified ones and review the permissions they ask for first.
- Watch out for AI-driven phishing and deepfakes
Scammers use AI to copy writing styles, voices and faces, so a polished message isn’t automatically a safe one. Pasting a screenshot of a suspicious email into Claude is a quick way to spot warning signs if you are unsure.
- Double check Claude’s work
Claude can sound confident even when it’s wrong. Verify before you share anything.
- Protect your NetID
Your NetID unlocks Claude and your other University accounts, so keep the password strong and unique and keep multifactor authentication set up. You can manage your methods on the ITS MFA page.
- Keep your software updated
Update your operating system, web browser and the Claude desktop app regularly. Updates patch the security flaws attackers look for.