[IS&T Security-FYI] SFYI Newsletter, March 4, 2014

[Monique Buchanan]

In this issue:

1. Event: Laptop Tagging and Registration, 3/5/14
2. Google Safety Center
3. Apple Update for OS X


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1. Event: Laptop Tagging and Registration, 3/5/14
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This Wednesday, there is an opportunity to register and tag your laptop.

Where: Lobby of Building 10
When: Wed., March 5, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Cost: $10 cash (no cards) or MIT Cash Object

Just as you might register a bike with the police, you can also register your laptop. Information Systems & Technology partners with MIT Police to provide STOP (Security Tracking of Office Property) tags for laptops. The tag is affixed to the device, has a unique number, and is registered with a world-wide database.

Sgt. Cheryl Vossmer of the MIT Police says that although a STOP tag is not software that can track a device via GPS or other means, it has been very effective at providing a way for lost or stolen laptops to be returned to their rightful owners.

Read laptop recovery stories here<https://www.stoptheft.com/>.

Learn more about laptop registration at MIT<http://kb.mit.edu/confluence/display/istcontrib/MIT+Police+Laptop+Tagging+and+Registration>.


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2. Google Safety Center
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Whether for work, school or personal use, you may be using Google’s products in one form or another, including an Android device, Gmail, Chrome, Google Docs or other applications. Google is committed to keeping the web safe for everyone and understands that it is a shared responsibility. They have put together a website to help you learn what you can do to protect yourself and your family online.

Topics include securing your password, managing your Google account, checking settings, and more to help you to stay secure and private when online<http://www.google.com/safetycenter/everyone/start/>. They also show ways to keep the bad guys out<http://www.google.com/safetycenter/everyone/cybercrime/> of your stuff.

There is a wealth of information included in the Google Safety Center<http://www.google.com/safetycenter/>, so it’s well worth while checking out.


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3. Apple Update for OS X
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Last week Apple issued an update for OS X Mavericks (Security Update 2014-001<http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1726>) that addresses a critical SSL flaw. The same issue was fixed earlier in iOS. Users are urged to update their systems as soon as possible as exploit code has already been released. The newest version of OS X is now 10.9.2.

The update fixes 32 additional issues, including six in the QuickTime media player and four that could be exploited to circumvent the application sandbox.

The company issued security updates for OS X Lion 10.7.5, OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5, and OS X Lion Server 10.7.5, although none of them are reportedly vulnerable to the SSL flaw. Apple and IS&T at MIT are no longer supporting Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6).

Apple issued updates for Safari, bringing the browser's latest versions to 6.1.2 and 7.0.2. According to Apple, the patch addresses "multiple memory corruption issues" in the WebKit software on which Safari is based, and which an attacker could exploit by tricking a user into visiting a malicious website.

A full listing of the recent security updates can be found at support.apple.com<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222>.


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Monique Buchanan
IT Security Communications Consultant
Information Systems & Technology (IS&T)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
http://ist.mit.edu/secure
tel: 617.253.2715


"Distrust and caution are the parents of security" - Benjamin Franklin
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