VPN Outage

Update 1/3/25 2:34PM: VPN service is restored. 

We are currently experiencing a VPN outage.

Outage Affecting VPN & Logging Into Computers in Computer Labs, Classrooms, & Remotely

Update 3/25/24 10:39AM:

The outage has been resolved. Affected services are back up and running.

ITS is aware of an outage currently affecting logging into computers in computer labs, classrooms, and Remotely. This same outage is also affecting VPN access. We will send another notification when we have more information.

Network Maintenance - July 30th from 9am-11am

Update: This maintenance has been completed as of 10:40 AM.

In order to ensure a high quality of service and to prevent service outages in the future, ITS will be performing maintenance on some of our infrastructure equipment. We'll be performing this maintenance on Friday, July 30th from 9am-11am. This maintenance will cause an outage on some services, such as Remotely, Banner, and VPN access. 

We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact ITS by emailing its@manhattan.edu.

Network Maintenace - 4/24 at 7am-8:30am

UPDATE: This maintenance has been completed as of 8:10 AM.

In order to ensure a high quality of service and to prevent service outages in the future, ITS will be performing maintenance on some of our infrastructure equipment. We'll be performing this maintenance on Saturday, April 24th from 7am-8:30am. This maintenance will cause an outage on some services, such as Remotely, Banner, and VPN access. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact ITS at its@manhattan.edu or by calling 718-862-7973.

Understanding the Basics of Online Safety and Security

Americans use 3,138,420 GB of internet data every minute of the day. It is safe to say that being online is now a way of life for many. Engaging in safe and secure online practices helps protect against the risks of living life on the internet.

Shopping, surfing, banking, gaming, and connecting Internet of Things devices such as toasters and refrigerators are some of the many actions performed each minute in cyberspace. These common everyday activities carry the cyber threats of social engineering to gain unauthorized access to data, identity theft, bullying, location tracking, and phishing, to name just a few. How can we decrease our risk from these cyber threats without abandoning our online activities altogether? Here are some basic online tips everyone can follow to help stay secure while online.

• Set up alerts. Consider setting up alerts on your financial accounts. Many credit card companies and banks allow you to set up alerts on your accounts via their websites. These alerts range from sending you an email or text each time a transaction happens on your account to alerts when transactions meet or exceed a designated spending limit that you set. These alerts keep you in control of your accounts' activities. These types of alerts are useful because they make you aware of what's going on with your account quicker than waiting for monthly statements. When you receive an alert about a transaction that you did not authorize, you can reach out to the credit card company or bank immediately. Log into your credit card company and banking websites to set up alerts on your accounts.
• Keep devices and apps up to date. This familiar tip is useful even if you are just casually surfing the internet. Keeping your devices up to date (including apps and operating systems) ensures you have the latest security fixes.
• Don't use public Wi-Fi. In addition to an updated device, the network the device is connected to is also important. Did you have to enter a password to connect to a Wi-Fi network? If you did, that network is more secure than an open one that any device within range can connect to. Whenever possible, use a secure network, especially when banking or shopping online.
• Consider using a VPN. VPN stands for virtual private network, and its main purpose is to provide a tunnel for encrypted internet traffic. If you are connected to the internet without using a VPN, your traffic is passed through the internet service provider's servers. The location of your device is known, and if you must connect to a public Wi-Fi network, there is a risk of snooping by other devices on the same network. Connecting to a VPN redirects your internet traffic to a remote server, encrypting the traffic, reducing the snooping risk. There are many options for VPN software today for consumers and businesses. Do your research and decide which one makes sense for your online needs.
• Create unique passwords. Here's another familiar tip. Using the same password for many sites is not a best practice. Suppose that one of your accounts suffered a data breach and your password was exposed. If you reused this password on other accounts, it's likely that someone would be able to access those accounts as well (especially if your user name is an email address). Consider using a password manager to manage all your passwords. Not only do these tools manage all your passwords, they can also create strong passwords and can even autofill your username and password as you go to websites on different browsers.
• Be vigilant. Be aware, there are fake websites out there waiting to collect your valuable information. Make sure you are on a legitimate site by double-checking the URL website address to make sure it is spelled correctly. Also make sure you see a padlock and https:// in the URL.

Remember that you are in control of your online activities. Following these security tips will give you peace of mind while online.

Be Secure Online! Refer to Manhattan College's Cyber Safety site for additional resources.

Refer to Manhattan College's Email Signature Knowledge Base Article for instructions on how to create your own email signature.

Partially reposted from: Educause 2019: Understanding the Basics of Online Safety and Security

New VPN Software Being Deployed

In September of 2015 ITS began internally testing our next generation VPN solution to replace the outdated installation we have been using for quite some time.

After lengthy testing we have selected and started deploying the industry standard OpenVpn solution on PFSense hardware to the Manhattan College Community. Several factors led us to this decision:

• OpenVPN is a secure and trusted solution offering reliable service and encryption.
• Ease of configuration. 
• All configuration is contained in one file that can be imported by your client. There is no longer a need to know esoteric jargon to get vpn working. 
• Reliable cross platform clients. 
• We have successfully tested OpenVpn clients on all supported versions of MS Windows, OSX, IOS and Android as well as several versions of Linux. 
• Extremely cost effective redundant hardware option makes the platform more reliable during operation and allows for more efficient upgrading with near zero downtime. 

Some members of the community have already been contacted and upgraded to our new VPN, if you have not please send an email to ITS@manhattan.edu and request an upgrade.

The older VPN will no longer be accessible after May 31 2016.