IRT: News & Events: TechUpdates: March 05 2004

Symptom: Your computer is running slower and slower; it often freezes; and you find yourself bombarded with pop-ups, sometimes at a rate of one every few seconds. Diagnosis: Your computer has been hijacked by spyware, an evil invader that installs itself from a web site, takes control of your system, and monopolizes your memory. And you probably don't even remember doing anything to deserve it.

The solution can be complicated, time consuming, and very messy. Unless you're an expert - and then you should know better than to be in this fix - you will need help to clean up your computer and restore its functionality. It involves searching all over your system for alien files. It may even require wiping your hard drive and re-installing your system and all your programs, with a strong potential for lost data.

The better solution is prevention. Avoid this situation by never, never clicking on pop-up windows or banner ads while surfing the web. The Close button is in the upper corner of the window (right-hand for PC, left hand for Macintosh); clicking anywhere else in the banner or pop-up window may install something that you really don't want. Entertainment sites are particular culprits for installing spyware.

In addition to good surfing discipline, make sure you keep your Windows critical updates and Symantec Anti-Virus Software up to the minute. There are programs that block many spywares, but some programs with names that sound like protectors are actually spyware themselves, so beware. If in doubt, ask first!

For more information, check frequently at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/security/. If you suspect you have a problem, or just want to check what's new in virusland, contact consult@drexel.edu or 215-895-2698.

2. New and Updated HelpCentral

IRT has recently added and updated several topics in the HelpCentral online computing guide. HelpCentral, located at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/help.html, contains tipsheets and tutorials on many facets of computing support, including accounts, policies, connectivity, email, online courses, and more.

Pages updated during the past month include:

How to enable WEP Encryption for wireless networking:
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/wireless/wirelesswep.html

Using Secure Shell client in the FTP process:
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/webits/publish/ssh_index.html

Revised DrexelOne help pages:
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/OneCalendar.html

System Admin Contacts (INB, web*finance, web*salary, etc):
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/SysAdmins.html

3. To Record Your Co-Curricular Accomplishments

Students! You know that your university career involves a great deal more than classes. Your many out-of-class activities are also learning experiences, from which you cull valuable lessons in organization, leadership, and citizenship. How can you reflect that learning experience and turn it into an asset for your professional career?

The Office of Campus Activities, together with IRT and ePortaro, the maker of Folio, have collaborated to introduce a new Co-Curricular Resume. With this tool, you can record your activities outside the classroom and incorporate them into your eportfolio.

Please visit the Office of Campus Activities web site for information, including instructions for getting started and why you should create your own Co-Curricular Resume. Go to http://www.drexel.edu/oca/leadership/resume.html.

Folio is now available to all students, faculty, and staff via DrexelOne (http://one.drexel.edu) under the Services tab.

4. WebCT to Be Upgraded This Month

WebCT throughout the Drexel system will be upgraded to version 4.1.2 on or about March 21, 2004. This prepares Drexel for migration to WebCT Vista at the beginning of Summer 2004.

This transition will require service downtime of from one to three days. The Drexel WebCT instance, by far the largest, is scheduled to be out from March 21 (12:01 a.m.) through March 24 (11:59 p.m.). Other WebCT instances - the College of Medicine, Cabrini College, Rosemont, Neumann, Wilkes, and PCOM - will be down from March 21 (12:01 a.m.) until March 22 (11:59 p.m.). Spring term classes at Drexel will be available to faculty members via WebCT not later that 5 p.m. Friday, March 26.

This scheduled downtime allows for backups and system restoration if needed. The actual downtime might be shorter.

The new WebCT version will give designers and instructors access to new tools and functionality, as well as helping us prepare for the migration ahead.

5. DragonFly Goes Private - Snoopers Not Welcome

The DragonFly wireless network implemented mandatory encryption on all Drexel campuses on February 26, 2004. This was necessary because newer versions of Windows did not function well on a mixed network; having encrypted and non-encrypted access to the same network access points was causing major interference.

All registered DragonFly users were notified in advance how to check their encryption settings and modify them as needed; the transition went smoothly.

6. The Epidemic of Identity Theft

Probably all of us know someone whose identity has been stolen, who has been hit with massive charges on credit cards (sometimes on cards they never had), and whose bank accounts have been drained. It can take years to sort out what is and is not valid and to persuade the banks and vendors to take responsibility and clear your record. Meanwhile, your credit rating is down the tube.

By all reports this has become a real epidemic, so what's to do?

First, be protective of your social security number. This is the master key to your identity. The government (especially the tax offices), your employer, your bank, and your insurance companies need to have it; many others do not. Above all, make sure you know whom you are talking with before giving your ssn to anyone.

Second, be protective of personal information in the Drexel computer systems. This means in particular your @drexel.edu computer account password. If you even suspect that your password may have been compromised, change it immediately at https://accounts.drexel.edu. On top of violating your privacy, someone could do you a lot of damage using your personal information.

Third, be wary of sending information via the Internet. Try to ascertain whether a web site is encrypted before ordering online via credit card. Watch for the "s" on "https" or for a notice that you are entering a secure area before giving out personal data. Also, remember that old-style FTP processes are notoriously insecure (passwords are transmitted in clear text); see Item 2 above for secure file transfer options.

Finally, be careful with sensitive papers. Keep documents containing personal information in a safe place, and, when it comes time to dispose of them, tear them up - or better yet, shred them - and split the confetti into separate trash bags and trash cans.

WebCT News

7. Call for Proposals for WebCT Regional Conference

The Call for Proposals has been posted for the second WebCT Regional Conference, to be held at Drexel on April 19-20, 2004.

View the details at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/services/webct/webctconf2004. And do send in your proposals. It's you who make the conference a success.

8. 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, 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 it normally is), we also supply lunch. Reserve your slot early at webct@drexel.edu.

9. Tips for This Month

IRT's specialists in WebCT are ready to help you to learn or implement features in WebCT. Ask questions or ask for help at webct@drexel.edu. Here are a few features you might want to explore - or ask about.

* The WebCT Gradebook is a great way to help your students track their performance. Since WebCT is linked to Banner, your students are already in your Gradebook. This is a useful feature, even if you are not a "power user" of WebCT.

* Tired of making copies of handouts? Upload materials to your WebCT course, link your students to them, and never stand at a copier again.

* A new way to do office hours. Use Chat in your WebCT course. There can be multiple rooms for students to choose from. Tell them which one, and enjoy a real-time discussion from wherever you happen to be with access to a computer.

* If you have PowerPoint lectures for your course, make sure your students have access to the appropriate Plug-ins. They may need RealOne Player for .rm files, or possibly Java. Be aware, however, that some corporate and personal firewalls screen out Java. Students who work, for example, may be blocked from accessing WebCT at work.

* Pop-up blockers can cause problems - especially when students are taking quizzes in WebCT. They may need to disable the pop-up blocker in order to enjoy a seamless WebCT experience in your course.

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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