April 5, 2021
I’ll bet Bill Gates wishes he had a penny for every time I’ve had to reboot my computer …
Oh, wait. He does.
Having trouble connecting to your GMail account while on-site at Duke? Here’s what you need to know…
Today’s Monday Byte is a reminder to all students, faculty and staff about accessing GMail, Facebook and other social media while connected to the Duke Health network.
In response to a series of ransomware attacks on healthcare organizations this past fall, Duke removed access to personal email and social media while on the Duke Health network. This ban on social media remains in effect. All devices connected to the Duke Health network will be prevented from accessing personal email and social media accounts.
Please remain vigilant and follow guidelines established by the Duke Health Information Security Office:
- Use extreme caution with all email. Do not open emails, click on links, or open attachments from unknown or suspicious senders.
- Report all suspicious emails to the IT Security Office by clicking on the Report Phish to Duke button or by email.
- Ensure that you are applying security updates on your personal (non-Duke) computers, particularly if they are connecting to the Duke network. More information is available at https://security.duke.edu/software-updates.
- Optionally, install the free CrowdStrike Prevent for Home Use anti-virus software on personal (non-Duke) Windows machines.
What if I’m Using the Duke Health VPN from home?
This affects you if you are on-site using the Duke Health Network or if you are using the Duke Health VPN off-site. If you aren’t connected to the Duke Health network, you will be able to access your social media and personal email.
If you would like to test it and see what to expect:
- Connect to the Duke Health VPN;
- Open a browser to navigate to gmail.com
- You should receive a message that says “Site can’t be reached.”
- Close the Duke Health VPN and you should be able to connect to your Gmail account.
Missing Our Campus?
Our Duke Photo of the Week is the Duke Pond, a sustainability project which was completed in 2015 that stores rainwater and runoff for use at Duke. The pond is home to a variety of birds and wildlife species, as well as several inconspicuous seating spaces to enjoy the view. Check it out …
