Blog - K12USA

K12USA Announces Launch of New Website

Sleek, easy-to-use interface allows customers and visitors to quickly search for products, find up-to-the-minute EdTech info, and log in to their accounts.

On February 1, 2017, K12USA launched a redesign of its website, www.K12USA.com. The clean, user-friendly new site provides customers, prospects, and other visitors with easy-to-find information on its portfolio of about 20 products—all created specifically for the unique needs of K–12 schools.

Improved functionality makes it simpler than ever to sign up for free product trials, instantly find ...

Continue Reading →

1
FEB
2017

0

Tools & Resources

Shortened URLs: Safe? Or Sabotaged?

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

Before you click that shortened URL, know the (harsh) facts.

Short links, shortened URLs, tiny URLs: Whatever you call them, they’re everywhere. More than 200 link-shortening services—including the popular Bitly, TinyURL, Google URL Shortener, and Twitter’s link service—turn millions of long, unwieldy URLs into short, spiffy links.

The convenience factor is clear. Sometimes you don’t want a four-line link filled with crazy characters cluttering your email or Facebook post. Platforms like Twitter have rigid character counts ...

Continue Reading →

10
JAN
2017

0

Security

are shortened URLs safe, short links, shortened URL, tiny URLs

Is the Internet of Things Safe? How to Protect Your Devices.

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

The Internet of Things connects us and our devices in amazing ways. But it can also wreak havoc on our world.

If you’d never heard of the Internet of Things (IoT), you likely know it now. On Friday, October 21, a massive Distributed Denial of Service attack pummeled popular sites like Google, Twitter, PayPal, the New York Times, and Spotify—crippling them for hours and frustrating millions of users.

The strike targeted the servers at a DNS-services company ...

Continue Reading →

20
DEC
2016

0

Security

How to prevent IoT attacks, Internet of Things, IoT, Is the Internet of Things safe?, What is IoT, What is the Internet of Things?

How to Recognize Social Engineering Attacks & Avoid Getting Hacked

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

Clever hackers are getting so devious that even IT folks fall for their ploys. Learn how to identify and avoid social engineering attacks.

Social engineers prey on human nature, attacking people’s vulnerabilities—fear, greed, naiveté, and kindness—to get what they want.

And what do they want? Your money, your credentials, your intellectual property, your contact list….

It’s easier to manipulate humans than it is to figure out how to hack your software. This makes social engineering attractive to crooks.

Tricksters may strike via phone, ...

Continue Reading →

27
NOV
2016

0

Cybercrime, Security

how to detect social engineering attack, recognizing social engineering attack, social engineering, social engineering attacks, social engineering scams

Why You Need Strong Passwords & How to Create Them

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

Think creating strong passwords is a pain? It’s really not. And getting hacked is far more painful.

The call to create tough-to-crack passwords gets louder every year. And still, scores of people ignore it.

Case in point: Computerworld’s list of the worst, most common passwords for the last five years. Topping the chart in 2015 were:

123456
password
12345678
qwerty
12345
123456789
football
1234
1234567
baseball

Not terribly creative—and worse—easily hackable.

Weak passwords pose a huge security risk, enabling crooks to break into private accounts.

Things get worse when people use one ...

Continue Reading →

20
NOV
2016

0

Security

best passwords, how to create good passwords, memorable passwords, password management tools, strong passwords, tips for creating strong passwords, worst passwords

Malware on Social Media: It’s Spreading. How to Protect Yourself.

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

It’s easy to be relaxed and unguarded when roaming around Facebook. But with the rise of malware on social media, you better amp up the vigilance.

Email phishing and spear phishing attacks are a popular way for cyber scammers to spread malware. But social-media platforms pose significant threats, too.

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and the like are goldmines of juicy information for crooks.

Once they gather enough personal details from your profile and posts, they can target you with ...

Continue Reading →

15
NOV
2016

0

Cybercrime, Security

malvertising, malware on Facebook, Malware on LinkedIn, malware on social media, malware on Twitter

Why You Need to Switch to HTTPS Now

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

Choosing to encrypt a website is becoming less and less of a choice for site owners. The switch to HTTPS is quickly becoming non-negotiable.

Thank the big players out there for making it highly desirable—if not mandatory—for HTTP sites to go HTTPS.

For example:

Google has clearly stated that HTTPS is an important ranking factor. No one wants to get lost in the search shuffle.
In 2017, WordPress—the open-source website-creation tool used by millions—will require hosts to make HTTPS available ...

Continue Reading →

11
NOV
2016

0

Security

how to make your website secure, how to obtain SSL certificate, HTTP to HTTPS, switch to HTTPS

Sharing Too Much Information on Social Media? Beware the Dangers.

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

Overexposing your personal life can be risky business.

We live in a share-happy world. What we eat for lunch, where we go on vacation, whom we hang out with, and how hungover we are—these are all things we freely post on social media.

But when does harmless chitchat become potentially dangerous TMI that can hurt our families, our finances, our homes, our jobs, and our reputations? When are we sharing too much information on social media?

It’s important to warn students, staff, ...

Continue Reading →

7
NOV
2016

1

Social Media, Student Safety

danger of sharing too much on social media, dangers of oversharing on social media, dangers of putting personal information online, oversharing on social media, risks of sharing too much information on social media, sharing too much information on social media

YouTube Restricted Mode Replaces YouTube For Schools

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

Schools have more—and less—control over the videos their students view.

The popular YouTube for Schools—which housed more than 400,000 educational videos from the likes of PBS, TED, and Khan Academy—is defunct. After a five-year run, Google announced its demise in July 2016.

Now, says Google, schools must use YouTube Restricted Mode to control the gazillions of videos their students can watch.

Why? What’s the difference between YouTube for Schools and YouTube Restricted Mode?

There’s been a huge change. YouTube for ...

Continue Reading →

5
NOV
2016

0

Social Media

Filter YouTube searches, Learning with YouTube videos, Manage YouTube, Restrict YouTube content, Restricted mode setting in YouTube, Restricted YouTube access, YouTube for Schools, YouTube restricted mode

SecureSchool Internet Filter Can Now Filter Chromebooks Off Campus

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

New capability solves a major problem faced by K–12 schools: Giving students monitored Internet access when working on school-issued laptops at home.

Internet filtering for Chromebooks outside of school was once a near-impossible feat.

But SecureSchool has a game-changing new feature customers may not know about. Using the Chrome Management Console, IT admins can now configure their schools’ Chromebooks to enable SecureSchool content filtering off campus.

With their cloud-based platforms and low cost, Chromebooks are surging in popularity in K–12 schools throughout ...

Continue Reading →

30
OCT
2016

0

Student Safety

internet filter for chromebook, internet filtering for chromebooks, school internet filter