Creating and keeping track of your passwords is no easy task. They need to meet a lengthy set of criteria in order to be secure. They should be at least eight characters long, and include a capital letter, and a number, and a symbol. And they shouldn’t include any personal information, like your name or birthdate, or any common password elements. Oh, and as a reminder, you shouldn’t reuse passwords for multiple services.

So, once you’ve got all that covered, the hardest part might be remembering your passwords for each online service you use. To help solve this problem, Simmons Technology provides password management software called KeePass, an open-source password manager that helps you to create and store a database of your passwords and only allows access using a single master password.

KeePass is installed on all Simmons-owned Windows and Mac computers. To install KeePass on your personal computer, you can download it at KeePass.info (for Windows) or KeePassX.org (for Mac).

If you decide to use KeePass or another password management tool, please be mindful of phishing attempts via email and never give your master password to anyone. As a reminder, Simmons Technology will never ask you for your password and we’ll never send you a link with a request to change your password.

Do you own an internet-connected device other than your phone and computer? Most of us do, whether it’s a smartwatch, fitness tracker, baby monitor, or even your car. In fact, researchers predict there will be more than 20 billion internet-connected devices in use by 2020.

These connected devices make our lives easier and can provide peace of mind. Knowing that you did in fact turn off the oven or that your cat is doing just fine while you’re on vacation is nice. But what if someone else was able to view and record video of your home or steal personal data from your Fitbit?

These are the dangers of new technology being a step or two ahead of information security. We get frequent reminders to change passwords and keep antivirus software up-to-date, but we don’t hear much about securing other types of devices. These products, which collectively are referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT), are vulnerable to the same attacks that threaten our computers and mobile devices.

Last October, there was a widespread outage of major websites, including Netflix, Twitter, and Spotify. The outage lasted for hours and was the result of a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS). These types of attacks involve sending a flood of traffic to a website in order to overwhelm its resources. Often, this traffic is generated by using large numbers of computers infected with malware to help attack a website. DDoS attacks have long been a popular tool among cyber criminals, but this one had a relatively new wrinkle—many of the devices involved were security cameras and other internet-connected devices.

Ensuring the security of internet-connected devices is a major concern. While your DVR probably wasn’t involved in this recent attack, that doesn’t mean that it—and other devices in your home—aren’t vulnerable to attacks. Large-scale efforts are underway in both the government and private sectors to improve security for IoT devices and getting it right is critically important as threats continue to evolve.

While this work is ongoing, there are several steps you can take right now to secure your devices:

• The easiest is to ensure that your home network is secure by creating a strong WiFi password and enabling your router’s firewall. Check with your internet service provider for how-to guides to getting this done.
• Another important step is to keep your devices and home network equipment up-to-date. Periodically check for updates to your devices and don’t ignore alerts or notifications from device manufacturers requesting that you run an update.
• Lastly, decide what devices actually need to be connected to the internet. Consider the advantages of connecting and assess whether it’s worth the risk. You probably want to be able to check your home security system from your phone, but it’s very likely that a toaster oven can do its job without being online.

This spring, Simmons Technology, Undergraduate Advising, Student Life, and the Registrar’s Office are working to launch a new centralized platform for Student Advising—Starfish. Starfish is an Integrated Planning & Advising System (IPAS) that will make it more convenient for students to access support resources, manage advising appointments, and respond to advising “to-dos.”

Starfish will also enable faculty and student support staff to access records in one consolidated location, direct students to resources, access photo rosters, and communicate more easily between offices. Using a single system means more effective referrals and timelier outreach to students. In addition, it will help the College to continually improve programming centered on advising. This is a long-needed system that will greatly improve our ability to support students in meeting their educational goals.

At first, this software will be available for Undergraduate students and our Online Social Work and Online Nursing programs. Once launched, we will begin to expand into other disciplines. We are hard at work configuring this software and creating the policies and procedures to make its launch possible. To learn more about the project and its goals, please visit our project web site.

Simmons is a frequent target of phishing attacks, in which criminals attempt to obtain personal information, gain access to your email account, or compromise your computer. Links in phishing emails may take you to websites that look very much like services you use, and attachments in phishing emails are a prime source of viruses and malware.

To help protect everyone at the College, Simmons Technology is requiring you to change your password as soon as possible. If you have already changed your password after receiving Information Security Officer David Bruce’s email on Jan 10, you don’t need to take any further action. Instructions for changing your password can be found on the Simmons College Service Desk website by clicking on the red “Change your password” banner at the top of the home page.

We also encourage you to be vigilant when using other web-based services. If you receive suspicious emails or account-related requests, contact the service provider directly for assistance.

If you believe you have fallen prey to a phishing attack, or have any questions about keeping your information secure, please call the Service Desk at 617-521-2222.

As we begin the spring semester, we want to share our progress on the computer replacement project.

Before the winter break, we proceeded with our pilot program in Technology, the Library, and the Department of Political Science & International Relations. This successful small-scale rollout helped us to refine our process and improve our prospects for a smooth rollout to the rest of the College.

During November and December, the project team met with each department on campus to determine their academic and business computing needs, and to answer questions about the project. We also used this opportunity to finalize a list of employees with computers that are eligible for replacement and to create a tentative timeline for each department.

From now until June 2017, our team will proceed with computer replacements based on the planning we’ve done with each department. If you have questions about the project or your eligibility to receive a new computer, please contact the Service Desk.

For many people, the last month of the year is a time for gathering with friends and family, sharing a meal, and exchanging gifts. And what’s easier than purchasing gifts through your phone or tablet, where you can save payment info and place an order with a tap of your thumb?

Recently, as covered in The New York Times, New York Post, and elsewhere, fake shopping apps have been popping up in Apple’s App Store and on Google Play. These apps have similar names and icons as popular stores and brands, but they exist solely to serve annoying ads, steal your banking information, or infect your device with malware.

Apple and Google work to prevent apps like these from ending up in their stores, but with thousands of new app submissions each day, some fall through the cracks and end up alongside apps from your favorite shopping destinations.

There are usually signs that these apps are fake, but they can be easy to miss. To stay safe, keep an eye out for:

• Apps that have no reviews and no previous versions
• Reviews from other customers who have been scammed
• Apps and app makers with misspelled names (e.g. Footlocke instead of Foot Locker)
• Apps with poorly written text, misspellings, and pop-up ads that cover the text

It’s always more fun to give than to receive, so stay vigilant and be sure you’re not on the receiving end of an app scam.

Did you know that Simmons provides access to thousands of courses and tutorials on topics from Photoshop to time management to career development?

As a member of the Simmons community, you have access to every course available at Lynda.com. Each video is created by an expert and the videos are fully searchable, so you can quickly pinpoint the information you need.

Popular topics include:

• 3D animation and modeling
• Audio and video editing
• Business and career development
• Web design and development
• Software tutorials

You can access Lynda.com at any time by logging in with your Simmons username and password. You can also access courses using the Lynda.com app for iOS, Android, and your computer.

Throughout October and November, the computer replacement project team has been working with department administrators to determine their needs and requirements for new computers. Their cooperation throughout this process has helped to keep the project on schedule and progressing quickly.

We have also begun rolling out new computers to our pilot groups in Technology, the Library, and elsewhere. These teams are providing us with crucial feedback that will help ensure the success of the project as we move forward and replace computers across campus.

We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding, which enables us to use the limited financial resources we have available to most effectively support the teaching, business, and strategic goals of the College.

If you’re holed up in your apartment or at a café studying for finals, or if you have a trip planned for the semester break, it’s easy to stay connected and get tech support from Simmons while you’re away from campus.

Service Desk Support

Open for phone support Monday-Friday from 7:30am – 5:30pm at 617-521-2222.

If you need help during the evening or on the weekend, or if you’d rather not pick up the phone, you’ll find answers to many common questions on the Service Desk website.

Services Available Anywhere

You can access your email, calendar, Google docs, Moodle, AARC, Workday, and more from almost any device using mobile sites and apps.

If you need access to technology services that are only available from the on-campus network, you can tap into them remotely using VPN. Simmons VPN is accessible on most computers and mobile devices.

There’s been a surprising amount of talk lately about cyber security. This important but often overlooked topic even made an appearance in a presidential debate as “the security aspect of cyber.” We’re not 100% sure what that means, but we do know that October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), and we want to help you understand the threats to your computers, mobile devices, and data.

Here are some resources to help you learn more and stay safe online:

• Simmons College Information Security
• NCSAM at StaySafeOnline.org
• Antivirus software download
• Google’s Safety Center
• Built-in Security from Microsoft
• McAfee’s Guide to Secure Online Shopping (PDF)

If you have any questions about cyber security, keeping your devices and data safe, or working with sensitive data at Simmons, the Service Desk is always available to help.