OIT Knowledgebase
Security
Maintenance Windows for Tufts Services
Tufts University IT has two defined “Maintenance Windows”. A Maintenance Window is a period of time when services may not be available due to maintenance. Not all maintenance windows are used, but users should not expect services to be accessible during the scheduled maintenance windows. Sunday 6:00 am to 10:00 am Friday (Morning) 12:00 am [...]
Macintosh malware infections
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Desktop Computing & Printing, Desktop Support, Security, Service Catalog, Virus & Malware Protection on April 13, 2012
A recent piece of malware given the name “FlashBack” has infected more than 600,000 Apple OS X computers. A patch is now available that will remove the vulnerability and malware automatically. If you do believe that you have been infected, please contact OIT for assistance. A side-effect of being infected is the chance that your [...]
Replacing the Responsible Use Policy
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Frequently Asked Questions, Sensitive Information, Service Catalog on April 6, 2012
The Tufts Responsible Use Policy will be replaced by the Information Stewardship policy on May 7th, 2012. The Information Stewardship Policy (ISP) outlines the actions all members of the Tufts community are expected to follow when working with institutional data and systems. To read more information about this policy, please visit the Information Stewardship & [...]
Identity Finder FAQ
Posted by Kathleen Beauparlant in Frequently Asked Questions, Security, Sensitive Information, Service Catalog on March 21, 2012
What is Identity Finder? Identity Finder is a software suite that can help locate sensitive information such as credit card or social security numbers that is stored on computer hard drives or on networked storage. Why do I need to use Identity Finder to scan my computer? On March 1, 2010 Massachusetts regulations went into [...]
Critical hole in Windows (3/13/2012)
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Desktop Computing & Printing, Desktop Support, Security, Service Catalog, Virus & Malware Protection, Vulnerability Management on March 19, 2012
Critical hole in Windows Remote Desktop Microsoft has patched a critical hole in all supported versions of Windows that allows attackers to take control of computers using malicious code. The vulnerability in the Remote Desktop Protocol may be exploited by a worm-like attack that spreads with no user interaction required. The patch was made [...]
Identity Finder User Guide for Mac
Posted by Kathleen Beauparlant in Frequently Asked Questions, Sensitive Information, Service Catalog on March 19, 2012
Running Identity Finder on Mac OS X The OIT Identity Finder package that has been installed on your computer comes pre-configured with all of the proper settings to scan your computer. The following walk through provides an overview of the steps involved when scanning your computer and managing the scan results. Please read through the [...]
Identity Finder User Guide for Windows
Posted by Kathleen Beauparlant in Frequently Asked Questions, Sensitive Information, Service Catalog on March 19, 2012
Running Identity Finder on Windows The OIT Identity Finder package that has been installed on your computer comes pre-configured with all of the proper settings to scan your computer. This is a step-by-step guide to the process of scanning your computer and managing the scan results. Please read through the guide before scanning your computer, [...]
How do I securely destroy digital media that contains sensitive information?
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Frequently Asked Questions, Security, Sensitive Information, Service Catalog on March 10, 2012
Tufts University has an agreement with Cintas, a Document Management company that offers mobile media shredding services. If you have sensitive information that you would like to destroy on digital media such as floppy disks, zip disk, CDs, DVDs, or Hard Disks, please contact the Office of Information Technology. Cintas offers secure shredding onsite shredding [...]
Information Stewardship Policy
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Security, Sensitive Information, Service Catalog on March 10, 2012
The Information Stewardship Policy (ISP) outlines the actions of all members of the Tufts community are expected to follow when working with institutional data and systems. For more specific information regarding the policy, visit Tufts University Information Stewardship Policy. Click here to see the Information Stewards Contact List.
IT Policies and Standards
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Desktop Computing & Printing, Security, Service Catalog on February 14, 2012
UIT participates with other areas of the University to develop, implement and maintain IT policies and standards. The IT Policy Oversight Committee (ITPOC) reviews draft policies, refines, and finalizes their wording, and shepherds proposed policies through required approval processes leading to adoption as official university policy. Information Technology Policies and Standards
Guard IT
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Security, Service Catalog on February 14, 2012
Tufts has compiled helpful information that will help you think, work & act Securely The Guard IT site http://go.tufts.edu/guardit has links to security policies, Data privacy information, sensitive information scanning, and data encryption tools.
Should my account be an Administrator on my computer?
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Desktop Computing & Printing, Desktop Support, Frequently Asked Questions, Security, Service Catalog on June 23, 2011
OIT provides security updates, software installs and general maintenance duties for your computer, but there are some times that you may need to do this yourself either after hours, or during an emergency. To see if you are eligible for administrative access to your computer, please contact OIT. When an account with administrator privileges is [...]
Windows Updates
Posted by Daniel Van Dae in Security, Service Catalog on May 9, 2011
Tufts University School of Medicine hosts a Windows Update Server. This server allows Tufts computers to automatically download and install Microsoft Updates, which includes security updates for Microsoft Windows as well as other business-related Microsoft products (Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint, Visio, Frontpage, etc.). When a Windows computers is joined to the domain it automatically connects [...]
How do I get an ID card?
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Accounts & Identity, Accounts & Passwords, Frequently Asked Questions, Security, Service Catalog on May 2, 2011
ID Cards are provided by the Tufts Department of Public Safety. On the Boston campus, the Public Safety office is located in the lobby of the M+V wing within the Biomedical Research and Public Health Building. ID’s are generally available as of the start date for employees being paid directly by the University. For affiliates [...]
Does the University provide antivirus protection for my computer?
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Desktop Computing & Printing, Frequently Asked Questions, Security, Service Catalog, Software, Virus & Malware Protection on May 2, 2011
The University owns licenses for antivirus products that can be used on University owned Mac and Windows computers. For University owned Windows computers, the University uses Trend-Micro Antivirus. For University owned Macintosh computers, the University uses Symantec Endpoint Protection. For personally owned computers the University has licensed Command Antivirus. Alternatively, for personally owned computers, there [...]
I keep getting pop-up windows saying that I might be infected. What should I do?
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Desktop Computing & Printing, Frequently Asked Questions, Security, Service Catalog on May 1, 2011
It is important to note the difference between a legitimate pop-up window from Trend-Micro Antivirus and a fake one that a website pops-up. A good rule of thumb is to be leery of anything that warns you with too much emphasis. A Trend-Micro antivirus pop-up will tell you that it has detected a virus in [...]
Physical Computer Security
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Security, Service Catalog on April 8, 2011
OIT recommends securely locking your computer to your workspace. Kensington makes simple security cables that are good computers that are left alone for minutes at a time. For computers in highly public locations, we recommend advanced security cables that cannot be cut with power tools. Cable and lock sets with master key capabilities are available [...]
VPN
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Network & Connectivity, Security, Service Catalog, VPN & Working Remotely on April 8, 2011
Tufts University has implemented a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to allow for safe and easy access to Tufts resources from off-campus. The tool is a Juniper VPN, which is accessible via the following link: https://vpn.tufts.edu Upon successful log in, the P: drive will be already mapped but other drives will need to be mapped manually [...]
Firewalls
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Firewall, Network & Connectivity, Security, Service Catalog on April 8, 2011
Tufts University has implemented firewalls to protect key computing areas, including servers and research equipment. If you feel that you have a resource that should be protected by a firewall, please contact OIT to request access.
Secure wiping of Data
Posted by Kevin Murphy in Security, Service Catalog on April 7, 2011
It is OIT policy to securely wipe (erase securely) all data on University owned hardware prior to the hardware being retired and removed from campus. OIT provides a few methods to securely wipe data and will assist you with this at your request. Boot and Nuke is a utility that OIT runs to securely wipe [...]