The DoIT Technology Support Center is looking to hire additional student consultants to work during the upcoming semester and beyond. Please see our job description below and visit our job posting on Handshake to apply. (Search for DoIT Technology Support Center Student Consultant.) The application will be open until December 6, 2024.

TSC Student Consultant Job Description

Technology Support Center (TSC) student consultants are the first points of technical contact for the UMBC community and those who do well often go on to work in other areas of the Division of Information Technology (DoIT). Minimally, consultants are expected to provide initial triage and support for a wide range of information technologies including accounts, hardware, instructional technologies, networking, software, telecommunications, and basic web development.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provide technical assistance to users by phone and online;
• Answer TSC phones in a professional and courteous manner;
• Create, update and resolve tickets in the Request Tracker (RT) ticketing system;
• Create, update, suggest and recommend relevant FAQ articles to users (www.umbc.edu/faq);
• Provide direct assistance to users on technical issues they cannot easily resolve on their own;
• Respond to all work-related communications in a timely manner;
• Escalate urgent problems to the Full-Time staff, as appropriate.

Required Skills and Experience

• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate by phone or in writing.
• Demonstrated writing ability.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve successful outcomes in handling difficult situations and customers.
• Demonstrated analytical and troubleshooting skills.
• Ability & willingness to learn coupled with a clear understanding of one’s technical abilities, so as to triage and escalate an issue that leads to an effective solution for the user.

We are proud to announce that Eric Ludy has been awarded the DoIT Gritty Award for his exceptional work in managing the complex Federal Student Aid system changes to UMBC's Peoplesoft Campus Solutions system over the past year.

The Peoplesoft Campus Solutions system experiences a routine 3-4 upgrades per year, with simultaneous upgrades of the underlying Peopletools system and upgrades for the Highpoint user interfaces. In addition to this work, there were numerous unexpected code releases from the federal government to address issues with the overhaul of the Federal Student Aid system this past year.

Eric navigated these obstacles with expertise and professionalism, ensuring that all upgrades were completed seamlessly and on schedule. He was able to coordinate the loading of multiple patches, proof of concepts, and PRPs onto separate databases for testing, before moving them to the production environment, all while still managing the regular upgrade schedule.

The August PUM upgrade, which included moving the Peoplesoft CS system to AWS, added an extra layer of complexity, but Eric handled it with the same efficiency and dedication. 

Through it all, Eric's work remained largely unknown to the broader university community, as he ensured that these critical system upgrades were completed without disruption to students and staff.

Congratulations Eric Ludy for being selected as this month’s DoIT Gritty Award winner!

For his exceptional efforts and commitment to excellence, we are proud to present Eric Ludy with the DoIT Gritty Award. Congratulations, Eric!

The Gritty Award is in recognition of outstanding work within the Division.

Full-time DoIT employees and teams are eligible to be nominated for going above and beyond! Anyone in DoIT can nominate someone for the Gritty by completing this short Gritty Nomination Form. 

Thank you Eric for all of your hard work! 

The DoIT Community & The DoIT Gritty Committee

Erica D’Eramo

Ally Hepp

Carlos McKinney

David Toothe

Dondre Hatef

Kashka Donaldson

Mariann Hawken

Nick Beech

Tony Finneran

Roy Prouty

Debbie Michaels

Ray Soellner 

Thank you to our full-time and student staff for getting AV systems ready for the fall semester!

Much of our campus community slows down a bit over the summer session while students are working, interning, or at home with family and friends. For the Audio-Visual (AV) teams, the summer is the busiest time of the year because classrooms are available for upgrades!

In preparation for the fall semester, the Operations and Design & Engineering teams completed several major projects, including comprehensive classroom evaluations, new system installations and programming, and upgrades to existing technology. 

Comprehensive System Evaluation 

The AV Operations team meticulously checked 203 technology-enabled classrooms throughout the summer session. Once rooms were checked, the team repaired or replaced any aging or broken equipment, completed firmware updates, and did a final operational check before the fall semester began. This involved assessing various components of each AV system across:

·        91 Registrar Scheduled Classrooms and Lecture Halls

·        36 Departmental Classrooms

·        76 Webex Conference Rooms

This proactive initiative aims to enhance the experience for students, faculty, and staff as they return to campus. Key systems that underwent scrutiny included the review of Fall 23 - Spring 24 Request Tracker (RT) tickets for potential issues, full operational tests of AV systems, testing of lecture capture and HyFlex systems, firmware updates, and the repair or replacement of non-functional items. 

Additionally, remote AV system monitoring has been implemented in 142 locations, encompassing a total of 967 devices. This capability enables staff to identify offline systems swiftly and investigate proactively ahead of reported issues.

Wifi-based Assistive Listening in Lecture Halls

This summer also saw the introduction of Wifi-based Assistive Listening in all lecture halls, allowing users to receive room audio directly on their personal devices via the Listen Everywhere application. Radio-frequency (RF) receivers have been available for some time in large classrooms and lecture halls, but the new advantages do not require users to retrieve and return earbuds and receivers for every lecture hall they visit.

Design & Engineering 

The AV Design & Engineering team works through the fall and spring semesters completing new system designs for Registrar classrooms, departmental classrooms and lab spaces, and conference rooms. The majority of these new systems are installed, configured, and programmed by full-time staff and the student installation team through the summer semester. 

New Systems Installed in Summer 2024 include:

• Full Classroom Technology Upgrades in 4 Registrar locations, including:

• Lecture Hall 1, PUP206, PAHB132, PAHB234

• Army ROTC House

• Smokeless Range, video conferencing systems, and wireless collaboration systems

• 4 Visual Arts Classrooms

• 3 Biology laboratory spaces

• Physics Astronomy laboratory space

• CAHSS classroom space in Fine Arts

• UMBC Training Center for CNMS 

• Admissions classroom/conference room 

• Parking Services Conference Room & Digital Signage for new location in 900 Walker

• Webex Room Kit Systems for Geography & Environmental Systems and CAHSS

• Digital Signage for the AOK Library and Computer Science & Electrical Engineering (CSEE)

Update the Operating System (OS)

Install operating system updates on all of your devices as soon as possible. Attackers won’t wait so neither should you!

Update Anti-Virus (AV)

Keep your anti-virus up-to-date so it can help keep you safe.

Update Software

Make sure all applications and software are updated and patched against known vulnerabilities. **Patches are pushed automatically to DoIT-Managed devices.**

Keep Software Up to Date with 3 Simple Steps

1. Watch for notifications

Our devices will usually notify us that we need to run updates. This includes our devices’ operating systems, programs, and apps. It’s important to install ALL updates, especially for our web browsers and antivirus software. 

2. Install updates as soon as possible

When notified about software updates, especially critical updates, we should be sure to install them as soon as possible. Malicious online criminals won’t wait, so we shouldn’t either!   

3. Turn on automatic updates

With automatic updates, our devices will install updates without any input from us as soon as the update is available—Easy! 

To turn on the automatic updates feature, look in the device’s settings, possibly under Software or Security. Search settings for “automatic updates” if needed.

Source: https://www.cisa.gov/secure-our-world/update-software

Congratulations to our Graduating students in the Division of Information Technology Class of Spring 2024

We're so happy for you! Celebrate your accomplishments and keep on shining! Congratulations on your momentous accomplishment!

This past summer, the UMBC Security Student Team made a significant discovery regarding compromised accounts, predominantly affecting alumni. In a series of alarming events, fraudulent Google forms were sent to users, threatening account deactivation unless they provided their usernames and passwords.

What Happened?

Initial investigations began when the student security team looked into a compromised account that had been disseminating phishing emails. They unearthed a troubling pattern during their probe: numerous password reset emails were shared across multiple accounts. This revelation led to the identification of many login failures from specific IP addresses, raising concerns that unauthorized individuals had access to these accounts.

Left to right: Ben Guest, William Brooks, Ouwen Dai, and Anna Plass

Investigative Steps

To contain the security event, the team collaborated with the Division of Information Technology’s full-time Security staff. Their first course of action was to lock and scramble the compromised accounts. Additionally, they proactively contacted affected users, urging them to create new passwords.

The security team also implemented a more structured approach to tracking the issue. They developed a shared spreadsheet to monitor affected users and created two Splunk dashboards to analyze abnormal user behavior and investigate suspicious IP traffic.

Key Learnings

Through this challenging experience, the student team realized the immense value of utilizing advanced tools and dashboards for efficient data retrieval and quicker identification of hacking attempts. Notably, the team credited DUO, a multifactor authentication (MFA) tool, with preventing many accounts from being compromised, highlighting the significance of robust security measures.

This ordeal also underscored the importance of up-to-date documentation and reporting, ultimately enhancing their understanding of UMBC’s authentication process.

Looking Ahead

With these steps, the UMBC Security Student Team is committed to safeguarding users from future hacking attempts, demonstrating the vital role of vigilance and innovation in cybersecurity.

If you have any questions about whether or not the mail you've gotten is legitimate, please contact the DoIT Security Department at security@umbc.edu. 

For more information about UMBC’s cybersecurity initiatives, go to doit.umbc.edu/security.

Ouwen Dai shares his experiences as a computer science student with a focus on cybersecurity and his work as a Security Analyst at DoIT. He highlights the importance of practical experience and the opportunity to connect coursework with work opportunities in college. Ouwen emphasizes the detective nature of cybersecurity work and encourages new students to seek help and engage fully in their learning process.

Passion for Cybersecurity

He discusses his passion for cybersecurity, likening it to detective work. Ouwen enjoys solving puzzles and believes his interest in technology made cybersecurity an ideal field for him.

Experience at DoIT

Ouwen describes his time at DoIT as enriching, due to direct exposure to various tools that are relevant to the cybersecurity industry. He believes that this hands-on experience is crucial for his future career.

Advice for New Students

Ouwen advises new students not to hesitate to reach out for help. He emphasizes that college is a unique time for learning, and combining coursework with work experience can provide a competitive edge upon graduation.

Future Career Aspirations

Looking ahead, Ouwen aims to continue working in the cybersecurity field, with interests in defense contracting, startups, and penetration testing.

Click here to watch the full video!

For more information about UMBC’s cybersecurity initiatives, go to doit.umbc.edu/security.

Thank you Dustin Roddy, Manager of UMBC’s New Media Studio, for this great video!

What is multi-factor authentication?

Multi-factor authentication adds a second layer of security to your online accounts. Verifying your identity using an additional factor (like your phone or other mobile device) prevents anyone but you from logging in, even if they know your password.

This additional factor of authentication is separate and independent from your username and password — Duo never sees your password.

How It Works

1. Enter username and password as usual

2. Use your phone to verify your identity

3. Securely log in

Why do I need this?

Passwords are surprisingly easy to compromise. They can often be stolen, guessed, or hacked — you might not even know someone is accessing your account. Multi-factor authentication helps keep your account secure even if your password is compromised. With Duo Push, you'll be alerted immediately (on your phone) if someone is trying to log in as you.

What services are supported by Duo?

Duo has apps for iOS and Android. Duo also allows you to authenticate using SMS passcodes sent to your cell phone, hardware tokens, or via a phone call (faculty/staff only). Duo is checked whenever you authenticate using WebAuth or myUMBC. This also applies to systems such as PeopleSoft and services such as Box, Microsoft Office, VPN, and Google Apps (Drive).  Those who are identified as having access to sensitive data are administratively enrolled in Duo.

What should you do if you receive a Duo push notification that you didn’t initiate?

If you receive a Duo push notification that you didn’t initiate, DO NOT APPROVE IT! Instead, mark it as fraudulent and change your password on a trusted machine.