It's (computer) patching time again
by the editors, InfoTech Tuesday
published Jan. 9, 2007
New Windows patches were released January 9, 2007, so be sure to patch your computer software with all critical updates. Apple also published security/critical updates for their operating systems. Use the Microsoft Windows Update service and the Apple Downloads site to get to these updates.
eID password-change deadline is Feb. 14
by B. Edwards, Information Technology Assistance Center
published Jan. 9, 2007
Wednesday, Feb. 14, is the deadline for all K-Staters to change passwords on their eIDs for spring semester. To change your password, sign in at eid.k-state.edu and select the password "change" link on your eProfile page. For security purposes, passwords cannot be reused within a two-year period. See the Password FAQs for more details.
Check your spam filtering setting
by A. Hagedorn, Information Technology Assistance Center
published Jan. 9, 2007
The beginning of the new semester is a good time to check the spam filtering setting on your e-mail account. To do this:
1. Sign in to the eProfile page with your eID and password. You will see the following:
2. Click the status of your Spam Filtering to change your settings.
Since spam filtering is not perfect, it is possible for legitimate e-mail to be misidentified as spam. Similarly, some spam messages will not be identified. Remember to check your Junk folder periodically to delete spam and to read messages that have been misidentified as spam.
2007 SIRT Roundtable schedule
by A. Hagedorn, Information Technology Assistance Center
published Jan. 9, 2007
SIRT roundtable discussion dates and topics for the first quarter of 2007
have been posted online at http://www.k-state.edu/infotech/security/SIRT/roundtables.html.
The next discussion is scheduled for this Friday, January 12 at 9:15a.m. in
Union 213. Harvard Townsend and other SIRT representatives will facilitate
the discussion about Windows Vista. All K-Staters are welcome to attend.
Mediator 8 Campus Site License
by C. Rodriguez, Information Technology Assistance Center
published Jan. 9, 2007
A campus site license for Mediator 8, a multi-media authoring
tool, is available for workstations on the Manhattan campus.
This license is available because of a collaborative purchasing
effort among various units (Agronomy, Animal Science,
Facilities, Human Ecology, Information Technology Assistance
Center, Office of Mediated Education, and Veterinary Medicine.)
Thanks to all of those that made this possible for the campus. A
special thanks goes to Kathy Leonard for handling the purchasing
details on a tight time-line.
Checkout Mediator's website to learn more about the software
http://www.matchware.com/en/products/mediator/default.htm. This
software can be installed on Manhattan campus workstations only.
If you would be interested in this software, complete the
request form
http://main.itac.ksu.edu/training/mediator/request.html.
Mainframe use expected to be heavy
by M. Milligan, Information Systems
published Jan. 9, 2007
Demand for the K-State computing mainframe during this week as well as
the beginning of next week is expected to be heavy. A functional team
within Information Systems has examined processes that demand excessive
processing time and have worked with other departments to schedule and
move those jobs, however, you may still experience some delays when
accessing the mainframe systems. Please have patience when trying to
get data from the mainframe, and be respectful of other users by logging
off or freeing your connection when not in use. The delays typically
occur the week prior to the start of class and over the next week.
Thank you for your patience.
No more CRT monitors
by E. Dover, Information Technology Assistance Center
published Jan. 9, 2007
During the winter break iTAC installed 137 new computers in the university
computing labs and InfoCommons area. With this upgrade all CRT (big old and
heavy) monitors have been retired and all computers now feature LCD flat
panel monitors. This should help to cut down on eye strain and provide more
desk space for books and notes thus making the computer space more usable in
an academic environment.
Security tip:Vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat/Reader when used with web browsers
by H. Townsend. interim IT security officer
published Jan. 9, 2007
Adobe Systems, Inc., the proprietor of the popular Portable Document
Format (PDF), acknowledged a recently reported vulnerability in their
Acrobat and Adobe Reader programs when used to view a PDF document
within a web browser like Internet Explorer or Firefox. The security
advisory from Adobe is available at
http://www.adobe.com/support/security/advisories/apsa07-01.html.
At this time there have been no reports of malware exploiting the
vulnerability, but with the use of PDFs being so widespread, one researcher said he
expects "that we will see this method used considerably in the coming
days and weeks" to compromise systems. Consequently, K-Staters should
take action now to protect their computer:
- Talk to your IT support staff to see
what they recommend. Adobe recommends upgrading to version 8 of Adobe
Reader, which can be done at
http://www.adobe.com/go/getreader, but that may not be an option for
everyone.
- You can also configure your browser to not use the Adobe
Reader plugin for reading a PDF. As long as you are not viewing the PDF
from within a web browser, you should be safe.
Details are unclear about which combination of browser and reader
plugins are vulnerable, so do not assume you are safe if
you are running Internet Explorer 7, and one report says the
vulnerability seems to target "Internet Explorer 6.0 Web browser and
earlier versions". This uncertainty underscores the need to talk to your
IT support staff to determine a course of action.
You can read more at:
Symantec - When PDFs Attack!
Computer World - Acrobat Reader plug-in vulnerable to attacks
BusinessWeek.com - Researchers: Adobe's PDF software flawed
Internet Storm Center - PDF XSS vulnerability announced at CCC
IT by the numbers: Electronic Grade Submission system usage
by S. Silva, Information Technology Assistance Center
published Jan. 9, 2007
Electronic Grade Submission system usage for Fall 2006:
- 779 sections submitted
- 295 unique instructors
- 26,019 grades entered
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