The Netbadge interface University students use to login to their e-mail and Collab accounts will get a new look tomorrow, said Mike McPherson, associate vice president and deputy chief information officer.
The subtle changes will make the digital certificate option more noticeable and prominent to encourage students and University faculty and staff to login using that shortcut instead of typing in their passwords, McPherson said.
"Digital certificates provide lots of protection against phishing because when you use a digital certificate your password never actually gets transmitted," McPherson said.
In a few months the University will switch over to Netbadge 2, which will allow users to set up security questions to provide a higher level of assurance that they are who they say they are, McPherson added. All University community members will have to attend an identity clinic to meet with IT personnel to set up their security questions. First-year students were "identity-proofed" earlier this year, McPherson said.
"You take a government photo ID and prove to a human being that you are who you say you are," he said. "Then you are given a piece of paper with a one-time password, which is only good for logging in the one time to give the answers to set up your security process. It's pretty quick, just a few minutes for students."
McPherson said University accounts suffer frequent e-mail attacks in which phishers ask students to enter their names and passwords to "verify" their accounts.
"People occasionally fall for it, and so it's a serious problem," he said.
The first clinic will be at the University flu vaccination clinic Oct. 26. Clinics will continue to run through November and December. For more information about the clinics, students can visit the Web site of the Information Technology and Communication office.
Students who do not complete their ID verification will automatically use their social security number as a security question, according to ITC's Web site.
-compiled by Kevin Mead
Read More
Presidential search committee holds first meeting, introduces search firm
By Cecilia Mould | 2 hours agoBoard of Visitors Rector Rachel Sheridan also introduced external search firm Isaacson, Miller, which will assist the committee in their search for the University’s next permanent president.
Archivist Report on Jim Ryan
By Finn Trainer and Clara Franklin | YesterdayArchivists Finn Trainer and Clara Franklin recount Jim Ryan's tenure as the 9th President of the University.
Why did Student Council vote no confidence in the Board of Visitors?
By Lauren Seeliger | 3 days agoUltimately, Dickerson said during the Aug. 8 meeting that the decision to draft this resolution was not easy but was necessary so as to fulfill Student Council’s role.
