December 2024

Merry MFA: A Fictional Tale of Cybersecurity

A person in a festive sweater uses a tablet to make a secure online purchase, emphasizing the importance of online security during holiday shopping

Once upon a time, in the bustling city of Clarksville, the holiday season was in full swing. The streets were adorned with twinkling lights, storefronts showcased festive displays, and the air was filled with the scent of freshly baked cookies. Amidst the holiday cheer, a student named Anita was eagerly preparing to travel to visit her family for the holidays. 

Anita studied information technology and was well-versed in the importance of cybersecurity. However, with the excitement of the upcoming trip and the stress of studying for final exams, she had neglected to check up on the safety of her accounts—until she received an email from her bank regarding a large transaction she didn’t remember making. 

Panicked, Anita immediately logged into her account and saw that someone had tried to access it from a foreign location. The bank’s security measures had fortunately prevented unauthorized access. Realizing the potential danger, Anita knew she needed to take immediate action to protect her hard-earned money—and her identity! 

Anita decided to set up MFA on all her important online services. After securing her bank account, she set up an authenticator app for her university account, ensuring that any login attempts required a code generated by an app on her smartphone. 

As Anita worked through her accounts, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. With MFA in place, she knew that even if someone managed to steal her passwords, they would still need her phone to access her information. The extra layer of protection gave her peace of mind, allowing her to focus on the joy of the holiday season. 

Little did Anita know that on the other side of Clarksville, a notorious hacker named Max was plotting his next big score. Max had spent years perfecting his craft, targeting individuals and businesses during peak times when they were most vulnerable. The holiday season was his favorite time of year, as people were often distracted and less vigilant about their online security. 

Max had stumbled upon Anita’s email address in a data breach and decided to try his luck. He attempted to log into her university email so he could reset her banking password, but each time he was met with a request for a verification code. Frustrated, Max realized that Anita had implemented MFA, making it nearly impossible for him to gain access. He moved on to other, less secure targets. Anita, on the other hand, enjoyed a wonderful holiday season with her family, free from the worry of cyber threats. Anita’s halted holiday hoax had taught her a valuable lesson: in a world where cyber threats are ever-present, taking the time to set up Multi-Factor Authentication is a crucial step in protecting one’s digital life. 

To make sure your accounts are safe and secure this holiday season: 

  • Set up Microsoft Authenticator for your Clark account, especially if you will be traveling internationally. Click here for instructions.
  • Review the security information and authentication factors associated with your account. Click here to learn more. 
  • Keep your passwords safe in a password manager like LastPass.
  • Do not share your passwords with anyone, including ITS.

Tech Check: Finals Week

dynamic back to school background with a burst of colorful geometric shapes and symbols representing different academic subjects.

While you’re preparing for projects, presentations, and exams this week, check in with your tech to make sure you’re saving time, staying organized, and studying smart! 

Canvas 

If you’d like to save any readings, presentations, or other material from this semester’s courses for future reference, make sure to export or download these files and organize them on your computer or in the cloud for easy access. Reviewing course materials is a great way to refresh your memory on concepts, ideas, and assignments you studied earlier in the term.  

Study Playlists 

Some people prefer to study in silence – but if you need a soundtrack, check out the many study playlists on platforms like Spotify and YouTube. You can also make your study sessions cozy by playing ambience room videos on YouTube, like this wintertime jazz coffee shop, or staying warm by a virtual fireplace 

Click here to check out an ambient study playlist on Spotify 

Click here to check out a lofi timed pomodoro study session on YouTube 

LinkedIn Learning 

Need some new practice problems or a quick tutorial? Browse through LinkedIn Learning. Many courses also provide helpful practice files or assignments for you to test your skills on your own while following along with the instructor. 

Click here to log into LinkedIn Learning with your Clark account 

Save Time with Citations 

Citations are essential for many projects, papers, and presentations, but they can quickly become time-consuming to properly format. Clark ITS offers EndNote, a reference management software, to all Clarkies. University librarian Laura Robinson also recommends Zotero, a free tool that can be used in your web browser.  

Click here to download EndNote 

Cyber-Celebrate the Season

Abstract digital illustration of microchip core on snowflake shape on blue background.

Technology can help you connect, give back, and have fun this holiday season, no matter how you choose to celebrate.  

Host a virtual party 

Connect with loved ones near and far via video chat! Use free tools like Random Trivia Generator and Teleparty to play games or watch movies together or take turns telling stories around a virtual fireplace. Don’t forget to add a festive Zoom background! 

Give back 

In the season of gratitude and giving, consider donating what you can to those who need it. Find your local food bank using a search engine sponsored by Feeding America or make an appointment to donate blood to the American Red Cross. You can also buy toys or gifts for children and teens involved with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families through Wonderfund’s Amazon wishlist.  

Click here to learn more about Wonderfund. 

Click here to search for non-profit and charity organizations in your area. 

Get cooking 

While you can’t cook online yet, you can find some incredible recipes there. ITS recommends the gojuchang caramel cookies from NYT Cooking. You can also check out the holiday recipes thread in the Foodies of Clark team here. Or, if you prefer to stick to take-out, check out ITS favorite video game Overcooked! (available on Steam, XBox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch).  

From all of us at ITS, have a happy & healthy holiday season! 😊  

Announcement: Kaltura to Replace Panopto in 2025

ITS is excited to announce that Clark University will transition to a new video management system, Kaltura, during the summer of 2025. 

Kaltura offers a robust, versatile, user-friendly video platform and is a market leader in higher education. Kaltura will provide students, faculty, and staff with the same features that they love about Panopto but with many more benefits, such as 

  • Better Canvas integration 
  • Easier video management 
  • Enhanced collaboration tools 
  • Powerful analytics 
  • A focus on accessibility 

Panopto will continue to be available to all faculty, staff, and students through Spring 2025. Visit our Kaltura Adoption webpage for more information on the timeline, support, and answers to your questions. 

Why are we moving to Kaltura? 

ITS regularly evaluates our technology platforms to ensure students, staff, and faculty have access to the most appropriate tools and to ensure the needs of the community are being met in the most efficient and effective manner. 

With support from the Academic Technology Committee, ITS evaluated Panopto, Kaltura, and Canvas Studio, the major vendors in the asynchronous higher-education video platform market. Considering our requirements, Kaltura was the most attractive option from a feature and financial perspective, providing all the functionality currently available in Panopto, a more user-friendly experience, additional features that support our institutional goals, and competitive contract terms.

ITS does not take a migration of this magnitude lightly and understands the effort associated with a technology change. Kaltura is a better choice for Clark and we are committed to supporting the campus to make the transition as smooth and easy as possible. 

For more information about Kaltura, our timeline, and answers to your questions, please visit the Kaltura Adoption webpage.  

Now what?

If you’re as excited as we are about Kaltura, consider signing up to be part of our Spring 2025 pilot. Otherwise, ITS will work hard over the coming months to implement Kaltura, offer training sessions, support your transition, and communicate with the campus. Visit our Kaltura Adoption webpage for more information. 

Questions?

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Help Desk (508-793-7745, helpdesk@clarku.edu.) 

ITS Help Desk Holiday Break Hours

The ITS Help Desk will operate on its normal schedule (8 am – 12 am, Monday-Thursday) until the end of exams. 

December

Wednesday, Dec. 18 – Friday, Dec. 20: 8 am – 5 pm 

Saturday, Dec. 21 – Sunday, Dec. 22: CLOSED  

Monday, Dec. 23: 10 am – 2 pm (operating remotely, no walk-up service available) 

Tuesday, Dec. 24 – Thursday, Dec. 26: CLOSED 

Friday, Dec. 27: 10 am – 2 pm (operating remotely, no walk-up service available) 

Saturday, Dec. 28 – Sunday, Dec. 29: CLOSED 

Monday, Dec. 30 – Tuesday, Dec. 31: 10 am – 2 pm (operating remotely, no walk-up service available) 

January

Wednesday, Jan. 1: CLOSED 

Thursday, Jan. 2 – Friday, Jan. 3: 8 am – 5 pm 

Saturday, Jan. 4 – Sunday, Jan. 5: CLOSED 

Monday, Jan. 6 – Friday, Jan. 10: 8 am – 5 pm