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Protecting student data

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

With the increasing reliance on digital tools and online platforms in education, it’s crucial to ensure that sensitive student information remains confidential and protected from unauthorized access.

Student data includes everything from names and contact details to grades, disciplinary records, and even health information. Unauthorized access or exposure of this data can lead to identity theft, reputational harm, and violations of privacy laws, such as FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). Continue reading “Protecting student data” →

Make your Excel data stand out by using conditional formatting

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

How to do conditional formatting in ExcelExcel is a powerful tool for managing and analyzing data. Conditional formatting allows you to apply formatting to cells based on specific conditions. This can help you identify important information in your spreadsheet and make your data more visually appealing.

How to apply apply formatting

  1. Select the cells you want to apply the formatting to.
  2. On the Home tab, click the Conditional Formatting menu.
  3. Choose a conditional formatting option, such as Highlight Cell Rules, Top/Bottom Rules, Data Bars, Color Scales, or Icon Sets.
  4. Customize the formatting options to suit your needs, such as choosing the color and font style for the highlighted cells.
  5. If necessary, add multiple conditional formatting rules to a range of cells.
  6. Apply the formatting to the selected cells by clicking the OK button.

Note:

  • Highlight Cell Rules: allows you to highlight cells based on their value. .
  • Top/Bottom Rules: allows you to highlight the top or bottom values in a range of cells.
  • Data Bars: allows you to add a data bar to each cell in a range, which visually represents the cell’s value.
  • Color Scales: allows you to apply a color scale to a range of cells, which will change the color of each cell based on its value.
  • Icon Sets: allows you to add icons to a range of cells, which represent the cell’s value.

For more information on conditional formatting, see Microsoft’s Use Conditional formatting to highlight information article.

How’s your Cyber hygiene?

Posted on by Christine Doucette

Cyber hygiene is the practice and steps K-Staters can follow to improve our online security and maintain the health of our IT systems.

Cyber hygiene is often compared to personal hygiene. Just as you follow daily personal hygiene practices to stay healthy, adopting a daily cyber hygiene routine is crucial for safeguarding the health of K-State’s network and ensuring the safety and security of our data. By making these habits a part of your daily routine, they will become second nature.

Be aware of phishing scams. Cybercriminals use phishing scams to try to trick you into sharing personal information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers and bank account numbers, by sending you fraudulent emails or directing you to a fake website. Learn what a phishing scam looks like.  If you suspect that you have been compromised…” use something like “If you suspect you’ve been targeted or fallen victim to a phishing scam, report the incident immediately to abuse@ksu.edu.

Create strong passwords. Complex passwords can prevent many malicious activities and protect K-State’s network. Consider using passphrases or a reputable password manager to create and store complex passwords securely. Learn about K-State’s eID password requirements. Continue reading “How’s your Cyber hygiene?” →

FERPA training emails sent by mistake

Posted on by Christine Doucette

On Monday, Oct. 21, some K-State students, faculty and staff were mistakenly sent an email about Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) training. FERPA training is mandatory for individuals who handle student data as part of their job responsibilities. If you are not required to undergo this training, please disregard the email.

If you are mandated to take FERPA training, K-State will send a follow-up email containing instructions on how to access the training. If you do not receive a follow-up training email, no further action is needed on your part.

Thank you for your understanding. If you have questions, contact the IT Service Desk.

Avoid Phishing Scams with Three Simple Tips

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

""Phishing scams are messages designed to look like they’re from a trusted source. You may open what you thought was a safe email, attachment or image only to find you have been exposed to malware or a scammer looking for your personal data. You can take precautions to protect your data. Be aware of the signs and report phishing to protect devices and data.

Recognize the common signs

  • Urgent or emotionally appealing language.
  • Requests to send personal or financial information.
  • Unexpected attachments.
  • Untrusted shortened URLs.
  • Email addresses that do not match the supposed sender.
  • Poor writing.

Resist and report

Think before you click. More than 90% of successful cyberattacks start with a phishing email. If you receive a suspected phishing email, immediately report the email to abuse@k-state.edu.

Delete

Delete the message. Don’t reply or click on any attachment or link, including any “unsubscribe” link. The unsubscribe button could also carry a link used
for phishing. Just delete.

If a message looks suspicious, it’s probably phishing. But even if there’s a possibility it could be real, don’t click any link, attachment or call any number.
Look up another way to contact a company or person directly: Go to a company’s website to find their contact information. Call the individual at a known number and confirm whether they sent the message

Upgrade now to Windows 11

Posted on by Christine Doucette

Have you upgraded to Windows 11? Last week, K-State released the Windows 11 23H2 feature update to devices using the central campus Windows software update server. Devices not compatible with Windows 11 will receive a notification with a list of reasons the compatibility check failed. Please contact your department’s IT director or the IT Service Desk if you have any questions about the update. Support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025.

Windows 11 was designed with multiple layers of security to help keep your apps, information and identity secure. New features in Windows 11 include Snap Assist for better organization and Copilot, an AI-powered assistant. Learn more about the new features in Windows 11.

4 tips to stay safe online

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

Our online world needs to be protected. There are easy things we can
do to ensure our information is safe from those wishing to steal it.

Recognize & report phishing

Most successful online intrusions result from a recipient of a “phishing”
message accidentally downloading malware or giving their personal
information to a spammer. Do not click or engage with these phishing
attempts. Instead, recognize them by their use of alarming language
or offers that are too good to be true.

Report the phish and delete phishing messages.

Use strong passwords

Simple passwords can be guessed. Make passwords at least
16 characters long, random and unique for each account.
Use a password manager, a secure program that maintains
and creates passwords. This easy-to-use program will store
passwords and fill them in automatically on the web. Continue reading “4 tips to stay safe online” →

Boost your Microsoft Teams skills with these quick tips

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

Microsoft Teams is a hub for collaboration, allowing you to streamline communication, file sharing, and project management. Whether you’re new to Teams or looking to sharpen your skills, these tips can help you work more efficiently and stay organized.

Organize channels with tabs

Add tabs at the top of your team channels for quick access to important files, apps, or websites. Tabs let you bring the tools you use most right to where you collaborate.

To add a tab  Click the “+” button at the top of any channel and then select what you would like to add.

""

Use @Mentions to flag someone’s attention

Need someone’s immediate input? Use @mentions to notify team members or groups. When you type “@” followed by their name, Teams will send them an alert, making sure they see your message. You can @mention the whole team, a specific channel, or an individual.

Avoid overusing @mentions to prevent overwhelming your colleagues with notifications. Continue reading “Boost your Microsoft Teams skills with these quick tips” →

Tips for protecting your devices and personal information

Posted on by Christine Doucette

You use devices like laptops, smartphones, tablets and watches to store sensitive information like your credit card. Protecting and securing that information is important to safeguarding your identity and data.

Here are a few things you can easily do to protect your devices.

Install antivirus software

Antivirus software is your first line of defense. It detects, blocks, and removes viruses and warns about dangerous websites and links.

Use strong passphrases/password manager

Using long, complex and unique passwords is a good way to prevent your account from being hacked. An easy way to keep track of and remember your passwords is by using a password manager. Continue reading “Tips for protecting your devices and personal information” →

Antvirus required for all devices connecting to the K-State network

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

""Kansas State University is committed to maintaining the highest level of cybersecurity for our community. To strengthen our defenses, all devices connecting to K-State’s network must have antivirus software installed and kept updated.

CrowdStrike is the antivirus solution for university-owned devices. It is not licensed for personal use. For antivirus protection on personally-owned devices, see the options below.

Installing CrowdStrike

CrowdStrike Falcon is automatically installed on all Windows domain-joined computers. For Mac OS systems or specific non-domain-joined Windows machines, you can manually install CrowdStrike Falcon by following these instructions.

Personally-owned devices

Personal-owned devices are still required to use an antivirus solution and keep it updated when connecting to the K-State network. This ensures the safety and integrity of our network and the personal information of all our users.

The following are antivirus solutions for personal use:

  • Windows
    • Windows Defender (built into Windows 10 and Windows 11)
    • Avast Free Antivirus
    • AVG Antivirus Free
  • Mac OS
    • Avast Security for Mac
    • Sophos Home

If you have any questions, contact the IT Service Desk at 800-865-6143 or 785-532-7722 or via Live Chat. For in-person support, come to the IT Service Desk on the second floor of Hale Library.