Announcements

Holiday Traveling with Personal Internet-Enabled Devices

Know the risks Your smart phone, tablet, or other device is a full-fledged computer. It is susceptible to risks inherent in online transactions. When shopping, banking, or sharing personal information online, take the same precautions with your smart phone or other device that you do with your personal computer —… Continue reading »

Critical Exploit in Mac OS High Sierra

Last night a vulnerability in Mac OS High Sierra was publicized. To summarize, it allows someone to gain admin access to your mac by using the root account and a blank (!) password.  This flaw affects all versions of Mac OS High Sierra (OS 10.13.x). It does not affect PCs,… Continue reading »

Be Aware of Holiday Scams and Campaigns

US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team) reminds users to remain vigilant when browsing or shopping online this holiday season. Emails and ecards from unknown senders may contain malicious links. Fake advertisements or shipping notifications may deliver attachments infected with malware. Spoofed email messages and phony posts on… Continue reading »

Use Caution With Email Attachments

Many familiar attachment types can be used to deliver viruses –  including PDFs, Word documents, zip files and PowerPoints. Recent examples have come in as invoices or bills, but they can also appear to be normal documents from people you know. The US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) has many good… Continue reading »

Toner Recycling Program Change

Our print management company, CBS, has partnered with a new toner recycling program. In order to further reduce waste, empty toner cartridges will be shipping in boxes of six rather than one at a time. Cartridge drop off locations:  We have placed six boxes in different areas on campus in… Continue reading »

New look and feel coming to Google Calendar on the Web!

Starting Tuesday November 14, 2017, a fresh look and new features will be available for Google Calendar on the web to help you manage your time more efficiently and get more done. The update also incorporates a modern color palette, sleek design, and a responsive layout that auto-adjusts to your… Continue reading »

Important! Windows and Mac OS updates- verify NOW

Along with the WannaCry cryptolocker vulnerability from May the recent cracking of the WPA2 wi-fi security protocol is a reminder that Operating System updates are one of the main protections against such threats. Please take the time RIGHT NOW to verify your Mac or PC computer is up to date. Continue reading »

OS updates

Vulnerabilities in Windows and Mac OS are discovered all the time.  Microsoft and Apple release critical updates (patches) to remove these vulnerabilities.  It is important for you to allow these updates to install, and also to check occasionally to be sure you are receiving them correctly. Please verify your Windows… Continue reading »

Gmail.app for iOS: OIT recommended email app for iPhone & iPad

The official Gmail app brings the best of Gmail to your iPhone or iPad with real-time notifications, multiple account support and search that works across all your mail. Download Gmail.app for iOS from the Apple Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gmail-email-by-google/id422689480? The official Gmail app brings the best of Gmail to your iPhone or… Continue reading »

Having trouble with passwords? A password manager can help.

A password manager like LastPass can securely store your many, many passwords – or generate new complex ones. You’ll only need to remember the one master password to access them. Other benefits include protection against phishing and off campus account compromises. Full information is available at: http://oit.williams.edu/help-docs/lastpass-password-manager/ A brief introduction if… Continue reading »

Security with email – tips from OIT

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. NCSAM is a public awareness campaign to encourage everyone to protect their computers and identities.  This week: EMAIL. Avoid these common mistakes. -Hit Send then wish you hadn’t?- Did you know that gmail has an “unsend” function? To be honest it’s… Continue reading »

PeopleSoft system maintenance Saturday, 9/30

We will be performing routine maintenance on our PeopleSoft systems on Saturday, 9/30. HR and Financials will be unavailable between 8am and 9am. The Student Records system will be unavailable from 9am to 2pm. – from Criss Laidlaw, Office for Information Technology… Continue reading »

Toner calls from Business Technologies, Inc.

Business Technologies, Inc. out of Georgia has been calling departments to confirm pcard numbers in order to ship them toner. They make it sound like it is a standing order and that they are doing business with the College. This is partially a scam and you should not be purchasing… Continue reading »

OIT recommends waiting on new Mac OS – High Sierra

OIT staff have been testing the beta version of the new Mac OS [High Sierra] which should be available in a few days. At this time we do not recommend upgrading. It has been our experience that new releases of an OS require fixes or updates that are normally addressed… Continue reading »

Google Team Drive now available

Great new Google feature – Team Drives Team Drives are shared spaces where groups can easily store, search, and access their files from anywhere. Unlike files in My Drive, files in Team Drive belong to the team instead of an individual. Even if members leave Williams, the files stay in… Continue reading »

Disasters and Data Breaches, Watch for Scams

No doubt you’ve seen the headlines about the data breach at Equifax, a credit-reporting company, which affects as many as 143 million individuals. While there is no correlation between Williams and this breach, we wanted to take a few moments to increase awareness of the situation, which may likely impact… Continue reading »

PaperCut Upgrade 8/14/17

On Monday, August 14th, we will upgrading the PaperCut system. The upgrade is slated from 9am to 1pm, during which time printing will be unavailable. After the upgrade, you may be prompted to login to PaperCut when you submit your next print job. from David E. Parks, Ofc for Information… Continue reading »

OIT Summer Maintenance Day – July 29th

Saturday, July 29th is OIT’s annual summer maintenance day.  Between 5:30am and 9:30am there will be several network outages that will make most OIT services (from the Jesup Data Center) sporadically unavailable. During these 4 hours it is best to plan that NO OIT services will be available.   Google… Continue reading »

July 2017 Security: What to do when you’ve been hacked

Face it: Hackers Gonna Hack. Compromised accounts happen. Quick identification and response can reduce the harm done to your accounts and your personal information. Educause has come up with some remediation steps for you to follow. First, how can you tell if you’ve been hacked or scammed in the first place? Clever hackers… Continue reading »

June 2017: Basic Steps to Online Safety and Security

The National Cyber Security Alliance has recommendations to help protect yourself online. Among the most important, set up 2-factor authentication on your accounts (available for Williams Google) and use a good passcode or bio lock on your smartphones and tablets. Read the full message for more tips. https://web.williams.edu/messages/show.php?id=43029  … Continue reading »

OIT recycling collection starts Wed May 31

OIT will be accepting old computer equipment at the Facilities barn on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday May 31, June 1 and 2. Hours are from 12:30 to 2:30. We can only accept personal computing equipment, not items from businesses. The recycling barn is behind the Williams tennis courts. Please do… Continue reading »