It was brought to our attention that iGrader’s synchronization with Blackboard via the integrate module is not working due to potential security vulnerability of SSL v3. We are awaiting a response from iClicker on a patch that should be available any day now. In the meantime please continue to poll in class and inform your students that iClicker grades will be posted by the end of the week the absolute latest. I hope this does not cause any inconvenience.
LAST WEEK’S I>CLICKER ANNOUNCEMENT:
You have likely heard of the recent potential security vulnerability of SSL v3. As an appreciated and valued customer, we wanted to let you know as soon as possible that we are aware of this issue and let you know that your faculty users could experience issues using i>clicker as a result of this vulnerability.
Technical Explanation: i>clicker software versions 6.4.1 and earlier utilize the SSL v3 communication protocol. As a result, clients using i>clicker 6.4.1 and earlier versions of i>clicker may experience issues with LMS integrations, which includes roster sync and grade upload. So far, we have reports of issues with Canvas, Sakai, and Blackboard due to these companies disabling this communication protocol to mitigate any potential risk for secure http (https) connections.
Steps we are taking: We are diligently working on an update, v6.4.2, which will utilize a different security protocol to replace SSLv3. All i>clicker 6.x (and earlier) users will need to update to this version to avoid disruptions with LMS integrations. This update should be available sometime next week. In the interim, instructors can continue to use i>clicker 6.4.1 with manual LMS integration rather than i>clicker integrate if it is necessary for them to sync a roster or upload grades. We plan to communicate with faculty tomorrow afternoon to alert them of this issue as well.
There remain some potential issues that relate to this same issue:
- i>clicker GO communicates with the GO servers using SSL v3. We are going to be updating the GO communication protocol and anticipate no issues with the usage of GO in class.
- The i>clicker registration database also uses SSL v3 to communicate with i>grader for Sync and other functionality. Again, we anticipate no issues with registration data communications.
We are monitoring the situation very closely and will update you immediately if necessary. As soon as the software update is available, we will communicate directly with you.