Apple and Windows Device Security Recommendations
 | 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 devices on their website.
Best Practices
Backing up your iOS device
It is a good idea to back up, or sync, your iOS device to a Macintosh or Windows laptop or desktop computer or to iCloud. Both the iOS device and laptop or desktop can be supplied and/or managed by Riverdale.
To retain the integrity of your iOS applications, settings and personal data, it is essential to frequently backup, or sync, the device to your computer. Sync must either be done over the USB cable, or through Wi-Fi syncing to a single computer. 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 logins to personal email, banking and ecommerce sites. 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/Face ID & Passcode (on a Touch ID/Face 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 backup and sync your iOS device 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 from your laptop/desktop or through iCloud.