Security Topic - You are the Target

We will be providing a PDF of this article and future articles. These articles are provided the University of Colorado Office of Information Security. -   You are the Target

Tax Scams and Phishing

We have started to see a few tax scams and phishing attempts this tax season already. H&R Block already have had phishing emails sent out in their name, other reports of fraudulent "refund card" activation phishing emails have been seen as well.  Then there is the typical IRS tax scams and phishing attempts aimed at collecting your personal information. According to the IRS website (www.IRS.gov) "The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email or any social media tools to request personal or financial information." If you see an email from a tax preparation service, call the service and verify if it's legitimate.  If you receive anything from the IRS directly, here are a few links to help you out:

• Tax Scams/Consumer Alerts
• The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email or any social media tools to request personal or financial information

Receiving Encrypted/Password Protected Files in Email

Information Technology does not support receiving encrypted files within email.  The reason for this is because our Spam filters cannot see inside the file so we cannot determine if the information contained within the file is a virus or not.  You also may not be able to send someone an encrypted/password protected file either if their system rejects encrypted files.  Additionally do not send private data over email.  Email is not encrypted in transit, so if you are sending or receiving private data, you may have already compromised the data.  This includes your tax documents.  If you have a business need to handle private data and share it or transfer it, to yourself or others, please contact Greg Williams at x3211 for secure alternatives to email.

More Updates to Java

Oracle has release 2 more updates to Java over the past month.  If you are running an older version of Java you may be risking your reseach, your personal information, your bank account information, or everything you do on the internet!  Malware that is installed by exploiting these older versions of software have been used to steal bank account information, steal research or worse, actually view your webcam (found on most laptops) without your knowledge!  If you can update Java, the updater for Windows is located under your Control Panel --> Java --> Update --> Update Now.  The latest version of Java is 7 update 17 and 6 update 41.  If you have a Mac, you can update Java by running a software update.  You can also find out which version you have by going here: https://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp?detect=jre  If you must run an older version, please contact IT Security for other possible solutions to protect your computer against this.

Apple Added to CU Marketplace

As of Friday March 8th, 2013, Apple is now available for purchase in the CU Marketplace. In addition, the discounts below will be applied to any orders for the models listed when AppleCare protection plan (APP) is included on your order. This discount is on top of the Apple Education pricing and will be applied once the product and APP are added to your cart.

Update Your Computer Over Spring Break

Spring break 2013 is just around the corner, March 25th-29th!  Is your University Mac or PC is running slow? Do you have a new University machine you'd like for the Help Desk to install one of our fully updated images on? If so, contact the Help Desk and we can schedule a time for you to bring your machine by, or we can set up a time for one of our Technicians to come to your office here on Campus and pick it up for you. For more information about New Builds or Updates, just give us a call at 255-3536 or email us at helpdesk@uccs.edu.

IT Questions?

Here at the IT Newsletter we are always looking to improve your experience as an end user of technology through information, tips, and tricks. This month we'd like to open the Newsletter to your questions and concerns when it comes to Campus IT or just the general where's and why's of technology. If you have something you would like the IT Newsletter to discuss a little more in depth for next month's issue, let us know through our Newsletter Questions Form and we'll do our collective best to answer one of your questions in next month's issue. Please submit your question by March 26, 2013.

Keeping Campus Safe - The Numbers

Incoming spam and malicious emails kept out of your inbox in the past 30 days: 7,318,580

Software Update Notes:

• Microsoft March Updates - Please make sure you save your work before you head home tonight (2/12). The updates may cause your computer to reboot.
• Mac March Updates - Be sure to update your Mac, click on the Apple icon in the top left corner and click on Software Update... be sure to install all updates.
• Adobe March Updates - Be sure to update your Adobe products (2/20 and 3/12).  There are some critical patches to Flash and Reader that affect Windows, OSX and Linux that need to be installed.
• Latest Firefox version: 19.0.2
• Latest Google Chrome Version: 25.0.1364.169
• Latest Java Version for Windows: 7 update 17 or 6 update 43