IRT: News & Events: TechUpdates: February 10 2004

Monitoring personal information on file with Drexel University - and personal information publicly available about oneself in Drexel's online directories - is an individual responsibility. There are two ways to check, and you should do them both.

First, click on Search on the Drexel web page (next to the dragon logo in the upper left and also in the footer - do not use the web search box). Fill in your own name in the form. Verify what is listed there for yourself: name, campus address, phone, fax, email, department, title, etc. Since the Search function draws its information from Banner, the solution for any errors you spot in Search is to be found in the next paragraph.

Second (and this is required of everyone once each term), log on to your DrexelOne account, and click on the Employee Services or Student Services tab. Then follow the links to Banner Web. If it's your first time to access that utility for the term, it will show you a screen with your personal information. Check the information and click Continue. Students may enter their corrections directly online. Faculty and staff will be directed to email their changes to hris@drexel.edu.

That's all! It's simple. And it's important. This contact information is used for important communications from the university to you. If someone gets your information wrong, because that's what they found in the university's directory information, it's nobody's fault but your own. And please note that university policy requires all employees to list a telephone contact number.

If you need help, contact consult@drexel.edu for computing problems, or Human Resources or SRC (Student Resource Center) if your employee or student status is wrong.

2. Bye-Bye to Desktop Banner

The transition has been going on for months, but we'll finally be pulling the plug on Desktop Banner on March 1st. By that time, all administrative users who directly access the Banner system must do so by using Internet Native Banner (INB).

Questions? Please contact your system administrator (the contact list is given at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/SysAdmins.html).

3. Old Passwords May Pose Security Risk

Every time you use your password in a non-secure setting (like FTP and several other popular functions), you risk having it sniffed and captured and turned into a gaping security hole. To minimize this risk, we ask all Drexel computer account holders to change their passwords every two months.

This applies to both email and domain accounts. You can synchronize these two main passwords by changing them using the Computer Accounts Management Service at http://accounts.drexel.edu, click on Manage Your Accounts. Once your passwords are in sync, you can keep them that way by clicking on the large keys in the General Information section of the accounts web page.

Meanwhile, try to pick a nice "strong" password - one that is not easily guessed by your friendly neighborhood hacker. For suggestions, see some simple rules at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/policies/email.html#password.

4. Message of MyDoom: Be Good, Be Careful

A fast-moving worm released last week that tied up the Internet and unleashed denial-of-service attacks on software vendors served to remind computer users and professionals alike of the importance of rigorous safety procedures. MyDoom (a.k.a. Novarg and MiMail) propagated via email, spoofing the addresses of its victims to spread the infection to all their friends and acquaintances.

So, some reminders of what we all should do:

* Don't trust the "From" line on your incoming email. That familiar address may be an email from your friend, or it may be from the worm on his/her computer.
* Never, NEVER, open an attachment that you were not expecting. Confirm with the sender that it is genuine. It is most often the attachment that carries the worm.
* ALWAYS keep your anti-virus software up to date. We strongly recommend that you set your software to do this automatically - every day.
* ALWAYS make sure that your Windows patches are up to date. Do this automatically and every day also.
* Remember that if you receive emails by way of a departmental server or off-campus ISP, you will be unprotected by Drexel's anti-virus gateway. You are vulnerable, and through you others on the Drexel network are vulnerable, so use extra caution.

For instructions on setting your software for automatic updates, see http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/security/security_howto.html.

If you have questions or problems, contact the Help Desk at 215-895-2698.

5. DoomJuice Worm Exploiting MyDoom Victims

Any computer infected with MyDoom is now vulnerable to a new threat. DoomJuice is a new computer worm that takes advantage of a "back door" that MyDoom installed on all computers that it infected. This back door lets DoomJuice take over your computer to attach Microsoft.

To help prevent the spread of DoomJuice, Drexel is blocking some network ports. Most readers won't be affected by this precaution, but some people will want to know that we are blocking inbound (from the Internet to Drexel) TCP/IP connections on ports 1080, 3127, and 3128. Additionally, from public network jacks and the residential networks, we are blocking outbound (from Drexel to the Internet) TCP/IP connections on port 25 (SMTP) to prevent compromised computers from being used to spread spam.

6. Dreaming of Dreamweaver?

Are you dreaming of learning (more) about Dreamweaver? Collect a small group (five or more) or your colleagues and let us know at irtweb@drexel.edu.

IRT web staff members are prepared to offer beginning and intermediate classes in this top-of-the-line .HTML- authoring tool. If you are not beginners, it would help to structure the workshop if you tell us any special features you want to learn.

7. DragonFly Security to Be Upgraded Again

Wireless security standards have been evolving quickly since Drexel deployed DragonFly in September 2000. Later this year we will begin the switch from wireless device registration to username and password authentication. In preparation for that change, the use of WEP encryption, which today is recommended, will become mandatory after 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 18, 2004.

Registered DragonFly users will receive a special email tomorrow (Wednesday, February 11) to tell them how to ensure that WEP is turned on so that they continue to receive uninterrupted service.

WebCT News

8. WebCT Conference: Keep Thinking About Topics

The call for proposals will be published soon for the second regional WebCT Conference, at Drexel on April 19-20, 2004. Do think about presenting your course, your approaches, your unique content. It's your contributions that will make the conference an even bigger hit than last year's. Plan to come, plan to share! That's the way we all can benefit.

9. WebCT Upgrades Planned

Over the Winter-Spring term break, all instances of WebCT will be upgraded from version 4.0.2.4 (the current version) to a release (4.2.x) that is expected out in early March. This update is prerequisite for our transition to WebCT's Vista course management product scheduled to begin during summer 2004.

10. WebCT Boot Camps

WebCT Boot Camps, held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 116 of the Korman Computing Center, have been scheduled for the following dates:

Friday, Feb 27
Friday, March 26
Friday, April 23
Friday, May 21
Friday, June 18

Laptops are provided for hands-on experience and, when the session is full (which is normal), we also supply lunch. Reserve your slot early at webct@drexel.edu.

11. Tips for This Month

Do you want your students to work in groups, share and modify files, work on joint projects, exchange email, and have private electronic break-out rooms where they can discuss projects?

Do your students' dunx1 accounts -- and yours -- have space limitations that preclude collaborative work?

You can solve these problems and more right within the WebCT interface.

Use the WebCT Group Management tool.

* Set up the group within the WebCT interface.
* Your course roster is there automatically because it is linked to Banner; just choose students from the list.
* Name your first group, and select the students to be in it.
* Repeat to assemble additional groups.
* Students can belong to more than one group.
* You may choose to add yourself as instructor to the group(s) -- or not.
* Groups can choose to make their work viewable to other groups in your course, or to keep it private.

Each group you establish gets its own storage space on the WebCT server.

The WebCT staff will be glad to help you get started (email webct@drexel.edu). Or you and a few colleagues may request a brief demonstration in the Korman Center.

To read previous issues of the IRT Technology Update, go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/

To manage your subscription options to the IRT Technology Update and other Drexel Announcements, go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt/subscriptions. If you prefer to receive a plain text version, please email your request to mailreq@drexel.edu.

Modified: August 20, 2008

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