Technology Tips: September 2021 Edition

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Can Students Steal Your Password?

We know students are smart and resilient. And, let’s face it—when the reward is big enough, even the most unmotivated student could be willing to cross boundaries to get what they want. This is why protecting your data by having an ultra-secure password is imperative—because some students might go to great lengths to hack it.

There are three ways students can steal your password: guessing, keylogging, and phishing. Check out this video series for more information on how students can hack your password and gain access to your data. Then consider creating a passphrase. 

If you are curious about passphrases but not sure where to begin, we’ve got you covered.
 

Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows and Mac

It’s the most wonderful busy time of year for education professionals. We’ve compiled our favorite keyboard shortcuts into a printable guide in hopes of helping you save valuable time.


 

Public USB Charging Ports: Convenient or Unsafe?

Juice jacking: It’s a type of attack that aims to access private data through public USB ports (most often found in airports, bus stations, and train stations). Though the threat level is relatively low for now, it’s still best to be on guard and keep your data safe from this type of attack. 

If you need to charge your phone in a public setting, opt for the traditional wall adapter and avoid public USB port altogether. While iPhones are considered relatively safe from this type of attack, Android phones are at a more significant risk. AT commands can be sent over a USB cable to eight different manufacturers including Samsung, LG, and HTC. Play it safe and stick to the wall charger, portable charger, or opt for a USB charge-only adapter, which prevents file transfers.
 

Malware of the Month

On September 14th, Apple launched an important security update to patch 14 vulnerabilities, including CVE-2021-30860. A zero-day zero-click exploit was found affecting iMessage, which meant hackers could install malware without users clicking on anything to install it.

If you have an iPhone, we recommend installing this update (or the iOS 15 update, which patches 22 vulnerabilities). It's available for iPhone 6s and newer editions, the 7th generation iPod touch, iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 and newer, iPad mini 4 and newer, and the 5th generation iPad and newer.

To install, simply go to the Settings app and choose General, then Software Update.