Archive for March, 2011

Definition

In short a ‘key logger’ is a tool that hackers can use to obtain personal information such as usernames, passwords, bank details and other kinds of personal information, by recording the key strokes you make while using your computer.

The Two Types of Key Logger

There are two types of key loggers, hardware and software. The recent hardware key loggers discovered in the Civil Engineering lecture theatres only work if they are plugged between the keyboard and computer. Therefore, if you use your own laptop with the Audio Visual system you will not have been at risk.

Software key loggers are malicious software which, when installed on your computer, log all the key strokes made by your computer and pass them onto a malicious party, often by submitting them to a website. There are many ways of getting “infected” with a key logger, including visiting malicious websites or using free USB memory sticks which could contain malicious software. Use standard security advice to protect against software key loggers. Ensure that you apply operating system patches, do not click on links sent to you in emails you were not expecting, do not open attachments in emails that appear suspicious etc.

It’s very straight-forward to check which version of Mac Mail you have installed, because it’s the same as your operating system (called OSX).

Versions:

• 10.4 : Tiger
• 10.5 : Leopard
• 10.6 : Snow Leopard

To find out which version you have click the ‘apple’ icon at the top left of your screen and then select ‘About this Mac’ and a window will open showing which version of OSX you have.

The screen show above shows that the Mac is running version 10.6.6 (which is known as Snow Leopard).  This means that Mac Mail is also version 10.6.

Imperial College Email Upgrade

During March 2011, the Imperial College email system is being upgraded to Exchange 2010.  If you have version 10.4 or 10.5 then you can carry on as you are with no change.

However, in order to make use of all the functionality (full compatibility with the new Exchange for Calendar and Address Book) you need to be running at least version 10.6 of Mac Mail.  If you are running version 10.5 we suggest you may want to upgrade to version 10.6, which is available from the Apple Education Store for only £26 to members of the College.

Note:

• If you are running 10.4, you need to upgrade to 10.5 before upgrading to 10.6
• If you Apple Mac is a PowerPC (pre-Intel) one then you cannot install 10.6
• (the ‘About this Mac’ window will say Intel if you have an Intel based Mac)

If you have Office for Mac 2008 installed on your Apple Mac, you’ll have an email application called Entourage (it’s essentially Outlook for Mac).  With the recent upgrade of Imperial College’s email system, you need to ensure you’re running the most recent and correct version of Office for Mac 2008 or higher.  (If you use Mac Mail, then you do not need to follow this, but check your Mac Mail version here)

Note:

• If you are running Office for Mac 2011 then you do not need to upgrade
• If you have Office for Mac 2004 you need to upgrade to Office 2008 (from the ICT Software Shop)

To check which version you have, open Entourage and then go click ‘Entourage’ on the top left (next to the apple icon) and click ‘About Entourage’ and a window similar to the one shown below will open.

The different versions of Office for Mac 2008 (also know as Office v12) are:

• 12.0 – the original if you haven’t updated since installing
• 12.1 – with Service Pack 1
• 12.2 – with Service Pack 2
• 12.2.8 – with updated Service Pack 2
• 12.2.9 – newer version of 12.2.8
• 13.0 – this is also known as the ‘Web Services Edition’
• 13.0.9 – an update to the Web Services Edition

Pay special attention to the first line where it tells you which version you have.  If yours looks exactly like the one above then you do not need to change or upgrade your Office for Mac.

If your version reads 12, 12.1, 12.2 or 12.2.8/9 then you need to upgrade to version 13 – also known as the ‘Web Services Edition’ – this upgrade is a available as a free download from the Microsoft website.  In order to upgrade to version 13, you also need to install the Service Packs that have come out since your version.  If you have version 12.0 then you need to install 12.1, 12.2, and then version 13.

There is currently an issue with Microsoft that causes an error upgrading from 12.2.9 to version 13, so if you want version 13.0.9 then upgrade from 12.2.8 or 12.2.

Download Microsoft Office for Mac 2008 updates from here: Microsoft Updates for Office for Mac

Direct links:

• 12.1 Update – download here
• 12.2.9 Update – download here
• 13.0.9 Update – download here

If you need to access ICIS from home, you will need to access it via different URLs to those you would use on a computer within the college’s wired network.

To do so, please use the following URLs:

• ICIS HR Self Service
• ICIS ‘My Training’
• ICIS Faculty E-Service
• ICIS Online Payslip
• Full ICIS Access, including iProcurement and Financial Responsibilities

For any further details on installing the necessary software to get this working, please read more at: ICIS Remote Access setup – step by step