OIT encourages all clients make sure the computer they are using for Williams related work, both OIT issued and personal, are running up to date operating systems. Click the appropriate section below for direction on how to check for updates on your device. We do recommend having a recent backup… Continue reading »
Mobile Device Security and Usage Guidelines Mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) must be appropriately secured to protect yourself, to prevent them from being compromised, to reduce the risk of malware, and to protect Williams. Everyone should adhere to these general best practices when using mobile devices. Additional measures may… Continue reading »
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH MY CURRENT PASSWORD SYSTEM (OR LACK OF ONE)? Passwords are the most ubiquitous form of authentication on the internet today. You probably know that you should have a strong, unique password for every online account you have. The problem How do you come up with a… Continue reading »
How to keep your data safe when your accounts at major sites are compromised. Yahoo!, Dropbox, MySpace, Pandora, LinkedIn…these are just a few of the sites which have had data breaches. How do you keep your own data safe? To start it is important to have strong and unique passwords!… Continue reading »
With an increasing amount of sensitive data being stored on personal devices, the value and mobility of smartphones, tablets, and laptops make them appealing and easy targets. These simple tips will help you be prepared in case your laptop is stolen or your smartphone is missing. Don’t leave your device… Continue reading »
Core Administrative System Off-Campus Login Alert Service OIT is now offering a new service to help minimize the risk of unauthorized access to your Student Records, Human Resources and Financials accounts. What the off-campus login alert service does The service sends you a text message whenever… Continue reading »
Contacted out of the blue? Sound too good to be true? Pause and think about it. Online financial scams are the same scams that have been in place for years just made easier through the use of email and social media. Our scam awareness document helps you recognize and avoid… Continue reading »
Hackers want your password and it can be exposed through a number of methods like phishing, a compromised computer or through a data breach at another service like LinkedIn. Did you know we have a system available that will prevent people from accessing your Williams google account even if they… Continue reading »
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month Learn the small actions you can take that will make a big difference to your online security at home and at Williams. WEEK 1 – PHISHING – Don’t give up your usernames, passwords or financial information due to an… Continue reading »
Data Classification Policy and Usage Guidelines Whether you study, teach or work at the College, you possess information that should be protected from exposure. Personal information has a lot in common with money – it has value, whether it’s your SSN, bank account number, or account usernames & passwords. These… Continue reading »
Services that use your Williams Network Account Username & Password Some logins use your email address (e.g. [email protected], [email protected]) while some just use the username (xyz5 or xsmith) These services all utilize your normal email password Email or Google login: [email protected] Eduroam wireless network: [email protected] Your PC computer: username Printing… Continue reading »
If you did reply with a username and password to a phishing email, or you logged in to a fake Williams web page your account information is available to the scammer. Do these things as quickly as possible (preferably from a different computer): CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD! Go to: the… Continue reading »
Phishing is a type of online scam where criminals send an email that appears to be from a legitimate company or person and asks you to provide sensitive information (passwords, account numbers, etc) or direct you to fake websites. A few clues can help you spot fraudulent email messages or… Continue reading »
The following is a list of domain names of online providers used by Williams to provide various services to the campus community. You may be asked to follow links to these providers’ web sites for certain types of transactions and it should be safe to do so. The best way… Continue reading »
All laptops supplied to Williams College employees will be encrypted by OIT when they are set up, with few exceptions. Encryption ensures that stolen or lost laptops can not be accessed for data theft. Since the summer of 2015 Williams has been using three encryption models. Windows laptops prior to 2015 have… Continue reading »
Recently there have been many warnings in the news about vulnerabilities in Java. Although no protection system is foolproof, OIT does provide several layers of security to help prevent computers on our campus from being exploited. Java, Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash all have web browser plug-ins (add-ins) which are optional… Continue reading »
In this climate of increased spam you may find it useful to permanently filter email you receive from a specific source. Different email clients do this in different ways, listed below are some examples from common clients. If the “From” address is consistent you can create a rule to move… Continue reading »
Requiring a password when resuming from a screensaver or waking from sleep (stand-by mode). Windows A screensaver password and a sleep/stand-by password are different settings on a PC. It is likely that your screensaver starts up before your computer goes to sleep, so that may be a better choice on… Continue reading »
Impulse SafeConnect endpoint security policy management system This system does NOT do digital rights management (DRM) in any way. It does not scan all the files on a computer. It does not report any user activity back to the server or to the manufacturer. What it does do is check… Continue reading »
How to Encrypt Files for Secure Email Transmission or Storage Why Encrypt? Massachusetts Law requires that legally-protected personal financial information be encrypted if sent over public networks, such as the internet. You may also need to protect information your office considers confidential, regardless of any legal requirement. This document describes… Continue reading »
For Faculty & Staff Mac Instructions: College Macs already have Sophos Anti-virus installed. If you find the need to reinstall the application you can do so from the Self-Service program located in your Applications folder. For home computers, the Mac already has some built in protection but we recommend you… Continue reading »
Downloading something cool? Are you sure it’s not Spyware? What is Spyware? The term spyware covers a wide range of situations from the benign (browser cookies) to the malicious – applications which are indistinguishable from viruses. In fact the worst spyware applications are like viruses designed to make money, which… Continue reading »
Williams VPN Running the VPN client allows you to establish a secure connection to the college network. Your computer acts as though it were here on campus. Among other things this allows a keyserver connection to run Williams licensed software from off-campus. The VPN connection is limited to Faculty, Staff… Continue reading »
Get Protected If you would like to schedule an Identity Finder scan to remove sensitive information from your computer, email [email protected] Otherwise we will contact you to work out a time for the scan. Protect your information by password protecting files & folders… Continue reading »
What are the requirements for a Core Administrative System Self-Service password? Your password must be at least 8 characters long and contain at least one numeric digit. It will expire after 180 days and will begin warning you that you need to change it 30 days before the expiration date. Continue reading »
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