Entries Tagged 'Announcement' ↓

Cybercriminals have become quite savvy in their attempts to lure people in and get you to click on a link or open an attachment. This type of attack is called phishing. Phishing attacks use email or malicious websites (clicking on a link) to collect personal and financial information or to infect your machine with malware and viruses. Spear phishing involves highly specialized attached against specific targets or small groups of targets to collect info to collect information or gain access to systems.

You may not realize it, but you are a phishing target at school, at work, and at home. Ultimately, you are the most effective way to detect and stop phishing scams. When viewing e-mail messages, texts, or social media posts, look for the following indicators to prevent stolen passwords, personal data, or private information.

–Beware sketchy messages. Phishy messages may include a formal salutation, overly-friendly tone, grammatical errors, urgent requests, or gimmicks.
–Avoid opening links and attachments. Even if you know the sender, don’t click on links that could direct you to a bad website. And do not open attachments unless you are expecting a file from someone.
–Verify the source. Check the sender’s e-mail address to make sure it’s legitimate. If in doubt, just delete the message.

Knowing what you’re up against can help you be more secure. For some examples of phishing attempts and tips on what you can do to protect yourself, check out this quick video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpaLmeHTp3I

Computing Services is here to help you with cybersecurity and answer any questions you may have. Feel free to contact us at (719) 587-7741, computingservices@adams.edu, or stop by our offices in the Computing Services building.

Thanks!
ASU Computing Services

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In late August, Computing Services began phasing out individual Personal Access Codes (“PACs”) for faculty and staff for long-distance calling. Instead of assigning individual PACs to each employee, each department has been assigned a 6-digit access code that is to be used by all employees of that respective department for work-related long-distance calling. Now that departmental PACs have been in use for a couple of months, Computing Services will begin deleting individual PACs on November 1st.

In addition, current voicemail services have been modified to provide Voicemail-to-Email service to new on-campus faculty and staff by default. This service delivers voicemail messages directly to a faculty or staff member’s Adams email inbox as an audio file attachment, allowing the employee to listen to their voice messages on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. This service also permits forwarding or archiving of these voicemail messages just like a typical email message.

Computing Services has plans to deprecate the old method around the holiday break, so if you still receive voicemails directly on your office phone, we encourage you to submit a work ticket to Computing Services to take advantage of the Voicemail-to-Email service. To do so, access the workorder system here: https://www.adams.edu/administration/computing/request-forms/. Scroll down to select the “Voicemail” menu option and submit your ticket, being sure to include both your office phone extension and ASU email address. Closer to the end of the semester, Computing Services will begin working with those folks who have not made the transition over to Voicemail-to-Email service.

If you have questions, please contact Computing Services at extension 7741 or via e-mail at computingservices@adams.edu.

Thanks!
Computing Services

We are now well into Cybersecurity Awareness Month and hope some of the tips we’ve shared have been helpful. This week’s topic is how to stay safe while using your mobile device.

Today’s mobile devices — including smartphones, laptops, and tablets — are as powerful and connected as any personal computer. Remember to take the same precautions on your mobile devices as you would on your computer and STOP.THINK.CONNECT.

STOP. make sure security measures are in place.
THINK. about the consequences of your actions and behaviors online.
CONNECT. and enjoy your devices with more peace of mind.

–Always use a strong password to lock your device. If your device supports encryption, be sure to enable it.
–Enable remote wiping of your device. If it is lost or stolen, you should immediately wipe the device to secure your data.
–Think before you app: review the permissions that applications request and think twice about installing the app if it needs access to all your information.
–Connect with care. Use caution when connecting to wifi hotspots.

For additional tips on protecting yourself while using your mobile device, check out this flyer from the National Cyber Security Alliance (staysafeonline.org): Safety Tips for Mobile Devices

Computing Services is here to help you with cybersecurity and answer any questions you may have. Feel free to contact us at (719) 587-7741, computingservices@adams.edu, or stop by our offices in the Computing Services building.

Thanks!
ASU Computing Services

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook!
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***Thursday Night Maintenance***

We have several maintenance items scheduled for this evening:

First, beginning at 7:00 PM this evening, we will be reindexing and updating App Xtender.

Then, beginning at 9:00 PM, we will be installing Windows Updates to all PCs on campus. Users are encouraged to log off but leave their computers on when leaving work today to assist in the installation of these patches.

Finally, beginning at 9:30 PM, there may be brief interruptions to several back-end systems and services as we perform updates and reboots as part of the patching and maintenance process. There should be very minimal impact to campus users at this time.

***Cybersecurity Tip #2, It’s Everyone’s Job to Ensure Online Safety at Work***

When you are on the job, ASU’s online safety and security is a responsibility we all share. As the lines between our work and daily lives become increasingly blurred, it is more important than ever to be certain that smart cybersecurity carries over between the two. Check out this infographic from our friends at the National Cyber Security Alliance (staysafeonline.org) for some quick wins that can make you safer at work and more secure at home: NCSAM Infographic.

Computing Services thanks you for your patience and understanding as we perform these critical maintenance activities. As always, if you have any questions, please call the ASU Computing Services Helpdesk at 7741 or contact us via email at computingservices@adams.edu.

Have a great day!
Computing Services

Now in its 15th year, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) — observed every October — was created to help everyone have the resources to stay safe and secure online. This year’s NCSAM theme is Our Shared Responsibility.

We lead internet-connected, digital lives. From our desks and homes to on-the-go, we work, learn and play online. Even when we are not directly connected to the internet, our critical infrastructure — the vast, worldwide connection of computers, data, and websites supporting our everyday lives through financial transactions, transportation systems, healthcare records, emergency response systems, personal communications and more — impacts everyone. No individual, business or government entity is solely responsible for securing the internet. Everyone has a role in securing their part of cyberspace, including the devices and networks they use. Individual actions have a collective impact and when we use the internet safely, we make it more secure for everyone. If each of us does our part — implementing stronger security practices, raising community awareness, educating young people, or training employees — we will be a digital society safer and more resistant from attacks and more resilient if an attack occurs.

Throughout the month, we’ll provide some videos and other resources to get you thinking about what you can do to protect yourself and the university online.

An excellent first step in protecting your privacy is selecting strong passwords.

• Passwords should be long and strong, instead of short and sweet, with a combination of lower/uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters. With all of these requirements, how do you choose a strong password that’s easy to remember? Check out this quick video for some tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhlXtBNNuKs
• Just as important as choosing a strong password is using unique passwords for EVERY site you visit. That way, even if a site is compromised, that password cannot be used to access your bank, credit cards, or social media sites.
• For more tips and tricks in choosing and remembering good passwords, including a secure way (hint: it’s not a post-it note!) to store them, check out our Password Tips on our how-to: https://howto.adams.edu/Password_Tips
• IMPORTANT: It is a violation of ASU policy to share your password with anyone. This includes logging in to a computer with your ASU account and letting someone else to use your workstation. All employees, including work studies, should use their own account.

Computing Services is here to help you with cybersecurity and answer any questions you may have. Feel free to contact us at (719) 587-7741, computingservices@adams.edu, or stop by our offices in the Computing Services building.

Thanks!
ASU Computing Services

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook!
www.facebook.com/ASUComputingServices
www.facebook.com/ASUResNet

As the fall semester gets underway, I’m writing to remind you of the risks involved with illegally downloading and/or sharing of copyrighted music, movies, games and software over the Internet. Unauthorized obtaining, sharing or offering such copyrighted material is illegal and in violation of U.S. copyright law. If caught, you may face severe civil and criminal penalties, including prison and monetary damages. Anyone found to have infringed a copyrighted work may be liable for statutory damages of up to $30,000 for each work and, if found to be willful, that amount may be increased up to $150,000 for each work infringed. Movie and recording companies actively monitor the Internet to identify individuals who are illegally downloading and/or sharing movies and music via peer-to-peer networks.

ASU fully complies with Federal law and takes prompt action when notified that one of its students may be illegally downloading and/or sharing copyrighted material. University Policy 500-008, Unauthorized Downloading and File Sharing of Copyrighted Digital Materials, is located on the ASU Computing Services Website in the Policies section, at https://www.adams.edu/administration/computing/. If caught, ASU penalties could include loss of access to the campus computer network, disciplinary action and in extreme cases, expulsion from the University.

You may think that the large movie or recording companies won’t bother prosecuting a single university student downloading or sharing copyrighted material. Think again. Organizations such as the Recording Industry Association of America are serious about protecting their copyrighted material. In 2009, a Boston University graduate student was ordered to pay $675,000 for illegally downloading and distributing 30 songs. This comes out to $22,500, per incident, of copyright infringement. There are a number of online sources that provide legal alternatives for downloading or otherwise acquiring copyrighted material. A listing of many of these sites can be found at: http://www.educause.edu/legalcontent.

If you have specific questions regarding ASU’s Unauthorized Downloading and File Sharing Policy please contact the

ASU Computing Services Help Desk at 587-7741 or via email at computingservices@adams.edu.

Thanks and have a great semester!

As shared at the August 17th All-Campus Meeting, Computing Services has begun the process of phasing out individual Personal Access Codes (“PACs”) for faculty and staff for long-distance calling. Instead of assigning individual PACs to each employee, each department has been assigned a 6-digit access code that is to be used by all employees of that respective department for work-related long-distance calling. Computing Services will begin deleting individual PACs on November 1st in order to give users time to receive the departmental PACs and ensure everything is working properly. While use of this new long-distance access code will work in exactly the same way as the current PACs, moving away from individual codes will assist with streamlining the budget and billing process for the departments, as well as saving 40-60 hours of staff work time per month.

In addition, current voicemail services have been modified to provide Voicemail-to-Email service to new on-campus faculty and staff by default. This service delivers voicemail messages directly to a faculty or staff member’s Adams email inbox as an audio file attachment, allowing the employee to listen to their voice messages on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. This service also permits forwarding or archiving of these voicemail messages just like a typical email message.

If you still receive voicemails directly on your office phone, we encourage you to submit a work ticket to Computing Services to take advantage of the Voicemail-to-Email service. To do so, access the workorder system here: https://www.adams.edu/administration/computing/request_forms.php

Under the “Phone Services” menu, select “Voicemail” and submit your ticket, being sure to include both your office phone extension and ASU email address. Toward the end of the fall semester, Computing Services will begin working with anyone who has not yet made the transition so that we can deprecate the old method around the holiday break.

In the coming months, we look forward to sharing ideas and possible options to address your department’s telecommunication needs. If you have questions, please contact Computing Services at extension 7741 or via e-mail at computingservices@adams.edu.

Thanks!
Computing Services

Computing Services and the Public Relations and Marketing team are excited to announce that the new campus directory rollout, as mentioned in the all-campus meeting, will be live on www.adams.edu on Tuesday, September 4^th. The new directory also includes a feature which allows employees to update their directory information directly. Instructions are included at the bottom of this message after our maintenance activities for this week.

****Maintenance activities for Thursday, 8/30/18****

-At 6:30 AM, all Banner Web Services and School Services will be unavailable for roughly 10 minutes as we finalize the configuration for the new campus directory.

-Beginning at 9:00 PM, all employee MAC and Windows PCs will receive critical software security patches. Users are encouraged to log out but leave their computers on to assist with the installation of these updates.

-Also beginning at 9:00 PM, we will be testing our fail-over capabilities for on-campus calling to improve system availability. There is no anticipated interruption to phone service.

-Lastly, at 9:00 PM we will be rebooting several back-end systems for maintenance which will cause brief interruptions to the CS ticketing and account management systems.

****How to update your employee information in the new campus directory (after 9/4/18)****

Once the new campus directory is live on September 4^th, employees may follow these instructions to update their directory information:

-Log into Web Services on the Faculty/Staff Resources page.

-Click the Personal Information tab at the top of the screen.

-Click the Update Address(es) and Phone(s) link.

-Under the Directory Address section, click the Current link

-Make any relevant updates and changes, and click the Submit button.

**Note- Changes to the system take roughly 15 minutes to be displayed in the directory.**

Computing Services thanks you for your patience and understanding as we perform these critical maintenance activities. As always, if you have any questions, please call the ASU Computing Services Helpdesk at 7741 or contact us via email at computingservices@adams.edu

Have a great day,

Computing Services