Kevin Crawley

Author's posts

Staff Training Inset Day – ICT & DMS

Please be aware that our ICT and DMS Service Desk will be closed on Wednesday 11th December 2019 for a staff training inset day. For urgent matters relating to internet connectivity, HICS calls will be answered by RM. Normal service resumes on Thursday 12th December.

Thank you for your understanding,

Kevin Crawley

Internet issues from Friday

RM have confirmed that the problems from Friday have been resolved and Talk Talk are working to identify the root cause.

Internet Issues

It looks like the Internet dropped out at some of the schools this morning. I believe it has now come back up. RM are liaising with the telcos to find out what happened and once I have further information, I’ll add a new post. Thanks…. and apologies for the inconvenience.

Self Service DNS

In the coming days new functionality will be turned on and RM SafetyNet admin users will be able to make DNS changes, as well as filtering changes.  We are of course still more than happy to do this for you, if you’d prefer. However, HICS schools will have the option to make DNS changes locally rather than having to log tickets with our Service Desk.

I have put together this quick guide showing you how to do edit/create DNS records whilst logged into RM SafetyNet;  Self Service DNS in Herts.doc

If you have any queries relating to this, please get in touch with either myself or the Service Desk.

Thanks,

Kevin Crawley

Google issue from 29th January

Following on from the Google search issues that occurred last month, RM have provided HfL with a report on this incident.

Report Summary 

On 29th January 2019, users reported issues accessing Google search results when using SSL proxies (wf3.thegrid.org.uk etc.). While trying to access search results, users were not receiving the desired webpage, instead they were getting a filtered message.

When dealing with a non-Herts eSafety query, the RM Service Desk added a new deny rule into the RM Global List (RM Pornography) within RM SafetyNet. This resulted in denying all the Google URL’s containing the rule. The change was applied to the live environment after being tested. Whilst the initial rule was overly broad, it was implemented quickly with a safety first approach as the video on YouTube was of a highly offensive nature. Following analysis and fault detection, this entry was updated to a more surgical approach, allowing for normal google search access to resume.

Follow-On Actions: The RM Management Team will discuss and finalise further safety measures that needs to be taken when staff amend the RM Global Lists. RM Management will also review the current testing scenarios and propose amendments if required.  Additional training will also be delivered to the RM Service Desk and they will be reminded of the importance when amending rules on the RM Global Lists.  HfL have requested RM keep us updated on developments.

Phishing emails

Whilst email is not part of HICS, some of you may find this post useful. Today we have received multiple reports regarding phishing emails being sent to schools in Hertfordshire. The email displays a blue box and asks for recipients to click on it, so they can display the complete message. If a user clicks the button it takes them to a page that is pre populated with the user’s email address, asking for a password. Under no circumstances should users enter their passwords on any screen that looks suspicious. We have restricted access to the web address that the current mail points to, however it is of course possible that this will change, so we recommend users remain vigilant.