Security

Passwords

• Your Saddleport password should be something that you do not use for any other site.

• Your password needs to be at least 12 characters long, and must include at least 1 upper-case letter, 1 lower-case letter, 1 number, and 1 special character.

• Do not include any names of family members or pets, or your street name, or school or church, or anything about you that someone might guess. "MustangsRoom24" is a terrible password.

• A good way to create a secure password is to think of a random phrase, and then use the first letter or two of each word. For example, your phrase might be "Green horses eat my 493 raspberry daisies". From that, your password could be "GrHoEaMy493RaDa!".

• Here is a good site for you to check the strength of your password.  It will estimate how long it would take a computer to "crack" that password.

• Never give your Saddleport password to anyone, including colleagues, substitutes, instructional assistants, administrators, technology specialists, or students. None of those people ever have any need for your password.

• It is a good idea to change your password at least once per school year, if not more often. You can use the "Change Password" tile in Saddleport to do this.

Email Scams

• Messages that come from outside of SVUSD will be marked in your email as "External", and will have a warning at the bottom of the message. Be very careful about clicking on any links or downloading any files from those messages unless you know the sender and are expecting the message.

• Technology Services will never ask you to "verify" your username or password. Your account is not going to expire; your email is not going to get shut down. Never include your password in an email or help ticket to Technology Services. Never enter your username or password unless you are certain you are on the correct website.

• Your principal will never email you and ask you to buy iTunes (or other) gift cards for them. Neither will the Superintendent or any Board members. If you get a message like that, it is a scam.

• You can check the actual sender of an email by using the instructions on this page. Scammers will often impersonate your principal or someone else in the district in the "Sender" field of an email message.

• If you receive a suspicious email, please forward it directly to help.desk@svusd.org. If it is legitimate, someone will let you know. If it is dangerous, Technology Services will work to block it.

Physical

• Always lock your classroom computer whenever you step away from it, even for a few seconds. Use Win-L or Ctrl-apple-Q to quickly lock your computer.

• Never allow a student to use your computer for any reason. Students have their own computers; they can and should use those.

• Be careful if you are projecting your computer screen to the class. Sometimes when entering a password, the typed character is briefly visible before being masked. You could be displaying your password one character at a time to the entire class.

• If you are off-campus at a cafe or hotel or restaurant, be very careful about what public Wi-Fi networks you connect to. If you are in doubt which is the correct network, ask at the counter for the official network name. If you guess and you are incorrect, you may be exposing your computer to infection or ransomware.

Crowdstrike

A new security software, CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor, will soon be installed on all district computers. 

What is CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor?

CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor is a security tool designed to protect your computer from viruses, malware, and other digital threats. It runs quietly in the background without disrupting your work, and it continuously scans for any unusual activity that could pose a risk.

Here's a more detailed explanation of how it functions:

• Constant Monitoring: The sensor runs quietly in the background, watching over your computer 24/7. It’s designed to spot anything suspicious like viruses or hackers trying to get into your system.

• Real-time Protection: As soon as it detects any potentially harmful activity, it immediately blocks it. This helps protect your computer from damage or data loss without slowing it down.

• Regular Updates: The software updates automatically, so you don’t need to worry about keeping it current.

• Low Impact on Performance: It’s designed to use minimal resources, so it won’t slow down your computer or interfere with your programs.

• Manual Scans: If you want to check a specific file or folder for malware, you can right-click on it and choose the Falcon malware scanner option. This lets you scan individual files or your whole system whenever you choose.

• Alerts and Notifications: If the sensor finds something dangerous, it will alert you immediately and prevent the harmful activity from affecting your system. It also sends detailed information about the threat to a central security team, who can take further action if needed.

What Do I Need to Do?

The installation of CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor will be managed remotely by our IT team. You don’t need to take any action.

Common Questions

1. Will this affect my access to any programs or files?

No. Falcon Sensor only blocks activity it identifies as a security risk. All approved software and files should be accessible as usual.

2. How will I know it’s installed?

You may notice a small Falcon Sensor icon in your taskbar, but otherwise, it runs silently in the background.

3. Do I need to perform any updates?

No, CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor updates automatically. Our IT team will handle all maintenance remotely.

4. Who can I contact if I have questions?

If you have any concerns or encounter issues, please submit a Service Desk ticket.

Manual Scan Option

To use the on-demand scanner, Users can right-click on the file or desktop and select the Falcon malware scanner to perform a scan against the entire system or the specified file.

Alert

When a malicious act is detected, the sensor informs the user that the process has been blocked; this information is also sent to the security team to help stop further attacks.