Campus colleagues,

Smart home devices like cameras, locks, and thermostats add convenience and automation to our homes. Unfortunately, they can also be a backdoor for attackers. As we have shifted to hybrid work and learning modalities, many of us have incorporated smart devices not only into our personal, but also our professional lives. While many smart devices have access to your accounts, passwords, and network, they often lack the robust security software and safeguards of larger, complex devices like phones and computers. Here are a few quick tips on how to protect yourself and the university by keeping your devices secure:

• Use a secondary or guest network – Most newer routers have the ability to create a secondary or guest network. The FBI recommends putting all of your smart devices on a different network from your computers, phones, and tablets, which is a great way to keep your data safe. Even if an attacker gains access to the network through a smart device, they’ll be separated from your data. Connect to the guest or secondary network as little as possible, ideally only while configuring your smart home devices.  Likewise, make sure your WiFi networks are secured with complex, unique passwords.

• Account Security – Many smart devices require you to have an account. Make sure those accounts use complex, unique passwords; avoid default user names; and equip those accounts with Multi-Factor Authentication whenever possible. Once your account is set up, take a few minutes to review all of the available security settings.

• Firmware Updates – “Firmware” is the software encoded onto your devices. Often, companies will send out firmware updates to their devices if they discover a security flaw. Take a minute to see if your device needs a firmware update. Usually you can find this information on the company’s website, application, or in your account information. Updates are most often done via WiFi.

• Maintain Privacy Mindfulness – Ensuring that your privacy is protected is a major concern whenever you install a new smart home device. Go through your device’s privacy features, disable extra features you don’t use. If the devices use cloud services, such as remotely viewable cameras, it’s important to know how the company may be using or sharing your data and how they keep that data secure. Factory reset any older devices before reselling or recycling them, and if they use cloud services, ensure the associated account is logged out and deleted from the device.

Thank you Cole Gunter, Information Security Analyst & Program Coordinator,  for providing this tip to campus. As always, the SJSU IT Service Desk is here to help by phone at (408) 924-1530 or online.

Thanks,
Bob Lim
Vice President for Information Technology
and CIO at San José State University

Spartans,

As an SJSU Student, faculty member, or staff member, you have access to Google Workspace with Google Slides. With real-time collaboration and automatic saves to the cloud, Google empowers teams and groups to create impactful presentations together. Today, I’d like to share three helpful tricks that can elevate your slides and captivate your audience:

1. Apply Image Effects: Google Slides allows you to add a touch of creativity to your images. You can apply shadow and reflection effects to your pictures or photos. To do this, select your image, click on “Format Options” in the toolbar, and enable either the Drop Shadow or Reflection options. Adjust transparency, distance, angle, or size to enhance your visuals.
2. Crop Images to Shapes: Sometimes, you want an image to fit a specific shape. Google Slides lets you crop an image to various shapes using a feature called masking. After selecting your image, click the Mask Image arrow next to the Crop Image button in the toolbar. Explore shapes like arrows, callouts, or equations to create eye-catching visuals. You can further adjust size, rotation, brightness, and contrast using the “Format Options” menu.
3. Create Even Spacing: Ensuring elements are evenly spaced and properly aligned keeps your slides looking sharp. Click and drag your mouse to select all the objects you want to distribute horizontally. (You can also hold the Shift key and click each object individually to select them.) Once the objects are selected, go to the “Arrange” menu in the toolbar at the top. Hover over the “Distribute” option in the menu. You’ll see two choices: “Horizontally” and “Vertically.” Choose the one best suited for the slide. Google Slides will automatically distribute the selected objects evenly along the horizontal axis.

Thank you Andrew Weiglein, from the SJSU IT Program Management Office, for providing this tip. As always, the SJSU IT Service Desk is here to help by phone at (408) 924-1530 or online.

Thanks,
Bob Lim
Vice President for Information Technology
and CIO at San José State University

Spartans,

If you frequently copy and paste text, images, or other content on a Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer, you’ll find the Clipboard History feature incredibly useful. It allows you to keep track of your clipboard activity and access previously copied items. Here’s how to enable and use it:

Enable Clipboard History:

• Press the Windows key (the one with the Windows logo) and V simultaneously. This keyboard shortcut opens the clipboard history prompt.
• Click on Turn on to enable clipboard history.

View Clipboard History:

• Once clipboard history is enabled, press Windows key + V again.
• A small window will pop up, displaying a list of the most recent items you’ve copied.
• The most recent items appear at the top of the list.
• To paste an item from the history, simply click on it.

Additional Notes:

• Clipboard history supports storing text, HTML, and images (up to 4 MB in size).
• It stores a maximum of 25 entries, with older items disappearing as new ones are added.
• Unless an item is pinned to the clipboard, the history list resets after restarting your computer.

Thank you Andrew Weiglein, from the SJSU IT Program Management Office, for providing this tip. As always, the SJSU IT Service Desk is here to help by phone at (408) 924-1530 or online.

Thanks,
Bob Lim
Vice President for Information Technology
and CIO at San José State University