Making 50 copies of your house key is probably overkill. Using the same password 50 times is also a bad idea. Use passwords that are strong, long, unique, and random for each site or account. That is the best way to keep your accounts secure.
Learn more at staysafeonline.org
#CybersecurityAwarenessMonth #SecureOurWorld
This week’s post for Cybersecurity Awareness Month covers Multi-Factor Authentication.
An authentication factor is a way for a person to identify oneself to a computer. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) means using more than one factor to prove to a computer that you are who you say you are. Typical authentication factors come in three types:
You probably use MFA all the time: when you use an ATM, you use a debit card (something you have) with a PIN (something you know). When someone checks that your face matches the picture on your driver’s license, they’re authenticating you with two factors.
According to Microsoft, 99.9% of account compromise attacks can be stopped with MFA. When you use MFA, a cybercriminal who wants to use your account will face a much greater challenge. If your password is compromised but a second authentication factor is required to sign in, a criminal using your password will not be able to authenticate as you. Visit the National Cybersecurity Alliance MFA page for more information.
You should use MFA with any service that stores sensitive information. These include:
MFA is required for all students, faculty, and staff, and more information can be found at our Multi-Factor Authentication page.
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This week’s post for Cybersecurity Awareness Month covers habits relating to passwords and password managers. To be cybersecure:
Remembering passwords and following these principles may sound hard, but there’s a better way…
Password managers make it easy to use passwords that are long, unique, and complex. They save time, work across all your devices and operating systems, and can alert you when a password has become compromised. Visit the National Cybersecurity Alliance password managers page for more information including password manager options you can use to be more secure.
As reported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology it is no longer recommended to change your passwords every few months. For personal accounts we recommend focusing on creating long, unique, and complex passwords. Should you become aware that an unauthorized person is accessing an account or a password was compromised in a data breach, change your password immediately. Please note that as part of our process at Kalamazoo College, we require users to change your KNET password periodically; however, there may be a change to this process in the future.
The information on this page was adapted from the National Cybersecurity Alliance’s passwords and NCSAs password manager page.
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Did you know that October 2022 marks the 19th Annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month?
To spread cybersecurity awareness, this month IS will be sharing key behaviors we can all adopt to be more secure. Read our posts each Friday for the month of October to learn more.
“The National Cybersecurity Alliance launched Cybersecurity Awareness Month in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2004. The campaign is a strong collaboration between government and private industry to raise awareness about online security” (National Cybersecurity Alliance). You can learn more about the month and other cybersecurity initiatives on the National Cybersecurity Alliance website.
Throughout the month of October we will be sharing more detailed information on the following habits:
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Congratulations Class of 2022!
Your graduation is the first of many proud, successful moments for you. To be of assistance to you, we would like to share important information relating your Kalamazoo College network accounts as you transition into an alum.
Now that you have completed your course of study at K, you may retain your network account for 10 months after the end of your course of study (graduation, completion of a year as a visiting international student, or completion of the engineering 3/2 program).
Information Services will also send reminders in the months and weeks approaching the end of this period. Please note that your accounts and associated electronic files are then permanently deleted after this 10 month period.
Kalamazoo College offers a lifetime e-mail forwarding option to its alumni. All email forwarding addresses are in the format “firstname.lastname.classyear@alumni.kzoo.edu.” To sign up, please complete the Email Forwarding Signup form.
For additional information, please contact the Office of Alumni Engagement at 269.337.7300 or alumni@kzoo.edu.
If your question is not listed below, please contact the Help Desk (helpdesk@kzoo.edu, 269.337.5800), or visit us in the Upjohn Library Commons, room 117.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) means using more than one key (e.g. password) to log on to a given service. You are probably familiar with MFA if your bank sends you a text message when you log in.
MFA protects your account and protects Kalamazoo College because when you sign in, you prove your identity in two ways: with something you know (a password) and something you have (usually a phone).
Got one minute? Use this link and add your cell number to confirm your logins via text message: https://aka.ms/MFAsetup. Got two more minutes? Continue at that link and set up the Microsoft Authenticator app.
MFA is a standard practice at most colleges, universities, and businesses that allow access to protected information. It helps protect personal and institutional information from theft, cyberattack, and ransomware. Additionally, K must implement MFA by July 1, 2022 to renew our cybersecurity insurance. Use of MFA will be required for all who use K’s Office 365 apps.
All students completed MFA enrollment by May 27. The deadline for staff was June 3, 2022. The deadline for faculty was June 17, 2022.
After enabling MFA on your account, some users find that their email stops synchronizing on their phone. It’s easy to fix: just remove your email account from your phone and re-add it. You can use our instructions for Connecting Email to a Mobile Device.
We are implementing MFA for all Office 365 apps (like email, Teams, Word, etc.). Notably, this list does not include signing into Windows itself, nor does it include Moodle or HornetHQ.
Briefly, Office 365 applications are Microsoft Forms, Microsoft Teams, Office 365 Exchange Online (our email), Office 365 SharePoint Online (including apps that depend on SharePoint online, like OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
You should expect to see prompts to authenticate with MFA about once every 90 days.
Rebooting your computer does not sign you out of the apps on your computer. You should not expect a reboot to trigger an MFA prompt.
MFA for Office 365 apps does not change how you will use Colleague or VPN. Continue to use these services as before.
You may choose to install the Microsoft Authenticator app for iOS or the Microsoft Authenticator app for Android on a tablet, and use it in addition to (or instead of) a mobile phone. If you use Office 365 apps on your tablet, you may find it convenient to have the Microsoft Authenticator app on your tablet. Having the Microsoft Authenticator app on a tablet in addition to a phone is a good idea, so you can use your tablet to authenticate in case you get a new phone or new phone number.
Information Services recommend that you add your mobile phone as your authentication phone. For your primary authentication method, we recommend the Microsoft Authenticator app for iOS or the Microsoft Authenticator app for Android. It’s easier, quicker, and more secure than text messages.
Yes; Information Services recommends you add at least two authentication methods. For most folks, it makes sense to add a mobile phone and the Microsoft Authenticator app. It’s smart to add another method (like the Microsoft Authenticator app on a tablet) as a backup.
No. You only need to download the app on one device to be able to authenticate using the Microsoft Authenticator app. For instance, when you log into Teams on a laptop, you can confirm the logon with the Microsoft Authenticator app on your mobile phone. It’s smart to add the Microsoft Authenticator app for iOS or the Microsoft Authenticator app for Android to a second device, in case you have problems with your main device.
If you have a phone in your office, we suggest you add your office phone as an authentication factor, in case you need to use MFA on a day when your mobile phone is not with you.
We suggest you download and configure the Microsoft Authenticator app for iOS or the Microsoft Authenticator app for Android before you leave. With it you can sign in without receiving a text message. If your phone is connected to the Internet, you can approve sign-ins via notifications. If your phone is not connected to the Internet, the Microsoft Authenticator app can still generate codes that you can use for authentication.
If you have configured a second authentication factor (like the Microsoft Authenticator app for iOS or the Microsoft Authenticator app for Android) you can add your new number (even an international number) at https://aka.ms/mfasetup. You should then remove your old number if that number will not be in your control. If you have already gotten a new phone number and did not previously configure a second authentication factor, please contact the Help Desk.
If you move your phone number to your new phone, you will continue to receive text message verification messages to that number on the new phone. We recommend you add the Microsoft Authenticator app for iOS or the Microsoft Authenticator app for Android to your new phone as well.
If you will get a new phone and new phone number at the same time (perhaps upon arrival in a study abroad location), the transition will be straightforward if you bring an existing authentication factor with you (like your old phone, or a tablet to which you’ve added the Microsoft Authenticator app for iOS or the Microsoft Authenticator app for Android). You can add your new number for text verification at https://aka.ms/mfasetup, and approve the sign-in with your existing authentication factor. For example:
Please contact the Help Desk (helpdesk@kzoo.edu, 269.337.5800), or visit us in the Upjohn Library Commons, room 117 for additional questions.
We understand that times are uncertain in terms of health and there are challenges with attending courses due to COVID. To support you, we will continue to provide technical support through transparency, documentation, and communication.
Listed below are essential technical resources to help you succeed in your academics. If you have additional questions, we’re here for you!
Sincerely,
Information Services
Visit the Student Tools page for specifically tailored student announcements, popular student resources, and methods of support. Also note that general IS announcements such as system maintenance can be visible on the home page.
The IS website it equipped with tons of documentation to help troubleshoot an issue or learn about further services.
Are you still not finding how to solve your issue on the website? Our Help Desk team and Student Computer Consultants are available to you during the following times:
Help Desk
Student Computer Consultants
Are you still not finding how to solve your issue on the website? Email the Help Desk or our Student Computer Consultants!
Are you having issues with Moodle? If so, please inform your professor and they will help direct you from there. You can also view the Moodle Quick Guide for Students for more instruction on submitting assignments, notifications, and more!
Your Librarians are here for you! Connect with us on the Library website!
Do you feel like we missed something in this quarter’s tech resources kit? If so, please let us know by contacting the Web Services Specialist, Katrina Frank at Katrina.Frank@kzoo.edu.
