Issue No. 121– June 5, 2009

Facebook Worm Strikes - Again

The 56^th variant of the KoobFace worm hit social media sites with a vengeance this week.   The worm has been around for about a year, and just keeps getting nastier.  This particular worm arrives in the unsuspecting Facebook user’s account or in a wall posting and has catchy tag lines including “You Must See It – LOL!!”, “You look so amazing funny on our new video”.  The post and/or email may appear to come from a friend or contact.  Once you click on the link, you are routed to what appears to be a fake YouTube site that asks you to install an updated video viewer.  By agreeing to the upgrade, you are actually installing the worm on your computer.  Your computer is then susceptible to hijacking and can be used to trick other victims into installing the worm.   

We have found that if the worm does make its way onto your machine, a number of things can happen, including hijacking of your Facebook password.  Facebook recommends that if this has happened that you should change your password and run your antivirus tool to remove the worm from your machine.  Check out the report on WATE for additional information.

Your best course of action is to never install applications, add-ins, or click on links in messages without verification of the source.  If you get a post from a friend telling you to click on a link to view a video, give them a call and ask them if it is legitimate.  The way this worm is spreading (over 200 million infections so far), your best bet is “don’t click that link!”.

  Phishers At it Again! 

Throughout the year you will hear this message from our offices -  OIT, nor any reputable company, will NEVER ever ask you for your password, bank account, social security number, or personally identifiable information.  If you are asked to provide this information over the phone or via email – DON’T.  The latest phishing email to be received by some members of the campus is below.  If you receive something like this, please do not respond.  If you are uncertain if the information is legitimate, contact OIT and we will be more than happy to check it out for you.  A big “thank you” goes out to the faculty member who brought this one to our attention!!

IT Department Service,

You have exceeded the limit of your mailbox set by your IT Department service. And you will be having problems in sending and recieving new emails.  To prevent this, you will have to contact the IT Department Service by email with your:

Current username:{    } and
Password:{    } to help increase your storage limit.

IT Department Service

Failure to do this, will result in limited access to your mailbox.

Regards,
IT Department Service.

ELN: Faculty News Update!

Home Grown Tutorials 

The OIT-ELN has posted Blackboard-CE6 primers online for DSU students and faculty. To get started, visit the our Blackboard-CE6 webpage and follow the online tutorials links. We strongly recommend that faculty members include the link to the student tutorials in their online courses.

Summer Availability
OIT-ELN staffers are available for course-development consultations and one-on-one training throughout the summer months. The OIT Lab (Bailey Hall 114) will remain open and available for use every day from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. For more information on the Lab, visit: http://eln.deltastate.edu/lab.htm.

  Guests Need Wireless Access? 

If you have a visiting group on campus this summer and they need access to the campus wireless service, OIT can provide guest credentials for your group. Without a guest account, or a valid username/password, individuals cannot log into the wireless service on campus.  Establishing a guest account is a secure way of providing your guests access to Internet while on campus.  If you have guests who need to set up their mobile devices for access to wireless services, just refer them to Network Device Registration page to get their device registered on the campus network.  If you would like to discuss obtaining a guest account for your events, camps or conferences, contact OIT at 4444  or contact the OIT offices in Bailey 102.

DSU Wireless FAQ’s

Connecting your wireless desktop, laptop, and/or mobile device has never been easier and safer.  The DSU wireless network is protected by Cisco's Clean Access system, which shields the university's network from viruses, malware, and other harmful applications.  For complete details on Clean Access and the DSU Wireless environment, visit our Wireless Internet Page.  In the meantime, here are a couple of our most commonly asked questions:

 What is Clean Access, and why do I need it?  Read the answer

How can I connect to wireless via my iPhone, iPod Touch, or other wireless device?  Read the answer

What software is required before I connect my PC to the campus' wireless network?  Read the answer

Don't Forget That Jump Drive!

“Oh, no!  Where’s my jump drive?!?!  Ohhh, I think I left in the computer lab!”  How many times has this happened to you?  More than likely many of you have had this experience.    Unfortunately, by the time you realize that you probably left it in a computer in the computer lab, your jump drive containing all of your hard work is more than likely gone.  It may not seem like a big deal, but consider all of the projects that were on your jump drive and how long it has taken you to get them all done.  You might want to consider what sensitive information about yourself that might be contained on your jump drive.

Online Media Services Reservations

Did you know that you can conveniently reserve all of your audio visual needs online at anytime via our online media reservation page. Available equipment includes:  Laptops & data projectors, public address (PA) systems, mini DVD camcorders, digital cameras, and much more.  Check out the OIT homepage for more details.

Next Maintenance Outage: 
Friday, 6/19/2009, 4-9 PM CDT 

Questions or comments ~ feel free to contact Beverly Fratesi, CIO at 662-846-4760 or email at bfratesi@deltastate.edu