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.