Policies: Using Dowling's information technology resources is a privilege granted on condition that you agree to adhere to policies spelled out at http://www.dowling.edu/mydowling/tech/itpolicy.html . Since we are all interconnected by technology, we all must utilize it in ways which maximize the community's efficiency and support the community's goals to the greatest degree possible. Please take the time to read this policy, and consider how it applies in your activities. Thank you.
Alert: student accounts to expire: The day after a student enrolls in a class, he or she gets a network, email and Student Information System account, all using the same userid and password. (Blackboard account names are the same but passwords may differ.) Several weeks into the SECOND major semester after s/he leaves Dowling, we delete his/her account. The next cycle of account expirations is scheduled for March 31 - targeted accounts will be alerted by email beginning March 17.
BannerWeb Access for Alums: We recently changed BannerWeb (a.k.a. Student Information System, Web for Faculty, Web for Students) to use network/email credentials. But alumni don't have accounts...how do they get in? We grant temporary access: have them call the Help Desk at 244-3445 to request an account.
Voicemail Message Retention: we recently sent out an email about our voicemail retention policy. In short, your voicemail box will stop accepting new messages when the limit of 25 is reached, so please don't let it get anywhere near that limit. A copy of the notice is here. Note that you can have us forward selected messages to your GroupWise email by "Copying" them to x5999. There, you thought this was just another dull email newsletter, didn't you?
Annoyed by spam? So are we. This Spring we plan to change the way our systems handle it: most of it will be blocked from ever reaching your mailbox. Some will still arrive but be tagged "spam". Keep it out of your sight by setting up a rule in your mailbox to trash it.
What is Phishing? It's email that tries to trick you into giving your personal information to a phony bank or other web site (definition ). You won't fall for it because you know that reputable companies don't ask for confidential information via email. (More info: FTC) Can you tell legitimate emails from phishing emails? Take this quiz: http://survey.mailfrontier.com/survey/quiztest.html.
Pharming: Next Rotten Thing after Phishing? Technical Details:
It's not easy, but a hacker might be able to trick your PC into sending you to a phony site, by lying to it about the addresses of web servers. This scheme is currently only theoretical, but we'll be watching for signs of mischief. Update: not theoretical any more: http://isc.sans.org/diary.php?date=2005-03-04
This Just In: Spyware Vendors Stoop to New Lows. One purveyor has begun sending cease and desist letters to anti-spyware vendors who classify the purveyor's software as spyware: see this article. At least one other vendor has apparently bought its way off some anti-spyware vendors' lists. Another adware vendor joined an anti-spyware industry group, which disbanded shortly thereafter as members disdained having an ad-supported software vendor as a member. (Story here)
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