Apple and Windows Device Security Recommendations
 | How to to access all of Riverdale's print and digital resources, including eBooks, audiobooks, and interactive books, as well as free and paid subscription databases. |
|---|---|
 | Intended for Employees, Students and Parents |
 | Categorized under RCS software and services |
 | Maintained by Derek Smith |
 | in need of review. |
Apple Help and Documentation
Apple provides a wealth of support documentation and online manuals for iOS devices on their website.
Best Practices
Setting Up and Syncing your iOS device
It is never a good idea to setup and sync your iOS device to a Riverdale-managed campus Mac or PC desktop or carted laptop. If you have a personal iOS device, or have been given one from Riverdale, please install the latest version of iTunes on your personal desktop or laptop computer and set up and sync on this machine only. Although syncing with a Riverdale-managed device may appear to work, you may experience data loss. Just don't do it.
Frequent Backup and Sync with iTunes
To retain the integrity of your iOS applications, settings and personal data, it is essential to frequently backup, or sync, the device to your iTunes Library. Sync must either be done over the USB cable, or through Wi-Fi syncing to a single computer. Within iTunes, you should choose to encrypt the backup file for your device as an additional security precaution. You will find the checkbox for this option on the Summary page for the device when it is connected. If you do not encrypt the iTunes backup, all saved passwords for email and other accounts cannot be restored.
Loss and Theft protection
To enable you to find a lost or stolen school-owned iPhone or iPad, you are required to enable the Find My iPhone (iPad) service using your iCloud account. When this service is enabled, you will be able to track your device, as well as remotely clear it of all data.
Full instructions on how to enable and utilize the Find My iPhone (iPad) service will be found at Apple Support - Find My iPhone, iPad, Mac and iWatch.
Passcode Security
The single-user design of iPads and iPhones enables the retention of passwords for Riverdale Google accounts, as well as any other connections such as WebDAV and Citrix. Many mobile applications retain downloaded confidential data in readable format. Because of the mobile nature of these devices, the opportunity for theft or loss is greatly increased. As a result, deliberate or accidental access to confidential information, as well as outright malicious intent towards the safety of your data can occur. It behooves any mobile RCS user to protect access to important School services by using a more secure passcode.
Setting the Passcode
Please enable a more secure passcode than the default 4 digits. Common sense alone requires you to set a more stringent passcode if you use your iPad/iPhone to access Riverdale services.
- Make sure your iOS device has been upgraded to the latest iOS version through iTunes or via wireless updating (available in iOS version 6 or greater.)
- From the Settings app, go to the General setting and choose Passcode or Touch ID & Passcode (on a Touch ID equipped device.)
- Enter your simple, 4-digit passcode, if enabled.
- If a Passcode has not been enabled, please enable it now by selecting the Turn Passcode On button.
- Set the Require Passcode to 15 minutes or less.
- Set Simple Passcode to OFF
- This setting will then ask for you to enter a more complex password which can contain upper & lower case letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. At the very least, create a passcode which follows the requirements for your Riverdale Domain password.
- Using your Riverdale Domain password is not recommended for this passcode. See this page on Shoulder Surfing for more information on this recommendation.
- This setting will then ask for you to enter a more complex password which can contain upper & lower case letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. At the very least, create a passcode which follows the requirements for your Riverdale Domain password.
- Optionally, select the Erase Data setting to erase all data on the iOS device after 10 failed passcode attempts. If you use this setting, make sure to sync your iOS device with iTunes on a regular basis. After the Erase Data mechanism is invoked, the iOS device will be wiped clean and you will need to restore the settings & applications through iTunes.
Resetting & Erasing an iOS device for return
When you return a long-term Riverdale-provided Mac Laptop or iPad/iPhone to the Technology Department, you must make sure that you follow the steps below to disable Find My iPad (iPhone) (see above) and to delete (iPad) or logout from (laptop) your iCloud account. You must reset your iPad to factory settings before you return it. If you have forgotten the passcode for your iPad and cannot reset it yourself, and Find My Device is still enabled, please inform the Technology Department. On a returned laptop, it is suggested that you remove any personal documents in your user account. Laptops will be wiped clean (digitally and physically) for you by the Tech department and we won't logon to inspect any files or data.
Supervised iPad Procedures
If you have an iPad which has been preconfigured with software and settings, it is most likely supervised and needs to be returned to iPad specialists at the River and HIll campuses for un-supervision. Please DO NOT reset and erase a supervised iPad, as any school-owned license codes will not be recovered for reuse on a future installation. In particular, any school-managed iPad, like the Sixth Grade 1:1 program, or any carted iPad, must be unsupervised before being reset. Faculty and Staff iPads provided by the school for your use and self-managed, (you download apps with your personal iCloud account, for example,) are usually not supervised and are exempt. There are 1:1 programs where students and faculty are given iPads to self-manage which are not supervised.
iPad Procedures
If you are returning an iPad which you have self-managed, follow these instructions.
- Find My iPad - Go to Settings > iCloud > Find My iPad and switch it off. Your AppleID and password is required.
- Sign out of iCloud - In the same iCloud settings pane at the bottom, tap the Sign Out button. Your AppleID and password, as well as the device passcode, may be necessary.
- Erase all Content and Settings - reset the iPad to factory settings by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. You will need to type the device passcode.
Once the iPad has been wiped clean, it offers the setup screen. Power down by holding down the power button on the top-right edge of the iPad, and swipe the "slide to power off" button.
Laptop Procedures
- Go to System Prefs > iCloud.
- Uncheck all options, including Find My Mac
- Click the iCloud Sign Out button.