Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health and wellness of the UP community have been high on the University’s agenda – so much so that Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Tawana Kupe announced that Thursday, 23 September would be Wellness Day, and granted staff and students a day off.

IT Services wishes to follow suit by promoting the digital wellness of the UP community with what we call a “cyberjab”. With October being International Cybersecurity Month, a period during which the global cybersecurity community works together to raise awareness of various online threats, this is an opportune time for all of us to do a digital check-up.

At best, most of us try to avoid contact with virtual viruses and other threats by following a few basic rules. But just as the COVID-19 pandemic is driven by a virus with variants, a pandemic fed by viruses and malware is raging in cyberspace – and no one is immune to it.

The cyberjab will take the form of an awareness campaign on UP’s website, and will serve as an injection of relevant information that will assist you to reduce your risk, and that of your family and friends, as you enjoy all the benefits provided by the digital world.

Please visit the Information and Cybersecurity pages at https://www.up.ac.za/itsecurity and look out for the hashtag #CyberJab. The site will have been updated with a fresh look, and informative articles will be released every Tuesday throughout October. On Tuesday 5 October, look out for articles on how responsible behaviour can promote wellness on the web, and in the week thereafter we’ll offer advice on how to protect yourself against digital infections. The topics for the rest of the month will be revealed on 15 October.