This year, a multi-disciplinary team of organizations created a new initiative which aims to create opportunities for economic success for those without high school degrees, and those who have graduated but do not have sufficient skills to begin a meaningful career. The New Skills For Youth (NSFY) program was created by the Council of Chief State School... Continue Reading →
Introducing Choices360
Your principal wants reports on your programs. Parents want your help with college planning. Students need your advice on scheduling classes. Everybody needs something. And what do you want? When it comes to your students, you want them all to have a diploma and a plan. Sounds simple, right? You'll fit it in right after... Continue Reading →
Why Do Students Have to Change Their Password?
What’s the most common password? Research shows it’s an easy one to guess: abc123. In second place is the equally predictable “password.” If you’ve read recent news stories on data security, you probably already know to avoid these two. But did you know there are now tools that can guess thousands of possible passwords in seconds?... Continue Reading →
Security Updates
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month – and there are more stories in the news to raise our awareness of digital security. The file-hosting service Dropbox was the subject of recent news stories claiming that a list of over seven million Dropbox login credentials had been leaked. Dropbox has since issued a statement assuring... Continue Reading →
Why Do I Have to Change My Password?
You had a great password. It took you a few tries to create a perfectly unforgettable but secure combination of characters, and you’d grown attached to it. Now we’re asking you to create a new one. What’s up? Internet security is only as strong as its weakest link. Hackers know the weakest link is often... Continue Reading →
Microsoft Security Patch Announced
Microsoft issued a security patch for Internet Explorer on May 1. The security patch is to address the vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer that were recently announced by Microsoft. If you have automatic updates enabled, this security patch will download and apply automatically. No action is needed. If you don’t have automatic updates enabled, Microsoft recommends... Continue Reading →
Microsoft Internet Explorer Security Advisory
Microsoft recently issued a warning advisory about its Internet Explorer (IE) web browser. The advisory states that IE versions 6 through 11 have a vulnerability that could allow an unauthorized user to gain full access to your computer—just by viewing a website. Until this issue is resolved, XAP encourages you to view all of our... Continue Reading →
XAP and the Heartbleed Vulnerability
The Heartbleed security vulnerability (CVE-2014-0160) was in the news this week. It’s being described as one of the biggest threats in the Internet’s history. The good news is that it can’t affect any of XAP’s products. Heartbleed is a serious vulnerability in OpenSSL 1.0.1 through 1.0.1f. It is called the "heartbleed" bug because it occurs... Continue Reading →
Tips & Tricks: Back to School
September can be a busy month - maybe that's why September 6 was declared Fight Procrastination Day. Check out our top six tips for staying on top of things. Simplify Your Inbox: We’re streamlining our communications, including the former Career Pro News and Dear Bridget, to give you a single newsletter -- a fast way... Continue Reading →