Coming Soon: Computer Security 101 Exam January 29, 2007
Posted by admin in : Expert Advice from the ITS HelpDesk, General News, IT Security Tips, Lab News , add a commentDuring the week of February 12th, University of Michigan-Flint students will have a chance to take the Computer Security 101 Exam. This exam will focus on some of the most prevalent threats to digital security including: phishing, viruses, spyware, password sharing, and providing too much information on social networking sites (Myspace, etc).
Some students may remember the last Security 101 exam, and the awesome prizes that were awarded to the winners. The prizes just keeping getting better! This year’s participants have the opportunity to win: a Dell Inspirion 1501 laptop computer, an Ipod Nano, a biometric flash drive, or one of many 2 Gig thumb drives. The first 20 students to complete the exam with a 100% will automatically win a 1 Gig thumb drive!
If you want to get a head start on the competition, check out the practice quiz which is available at: http://ww2.umflint.edu/security101/.
Prepare for the arrival of Office 2007 January 25, 2007
Posted by admin in : Expert Advice from the ITS HelpDesk, Hardware and Software Sales, New Technologies , add a commentAs you may already be aware, Microsoft will soon release Office 2007 (expected release date: January 30th). This updated version of the Office suite will feature an entirely new look for the popular programs. PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Access, and Outlook are included in Microsoft Office 2007.
Perhaps one of the biggest changes is the elimination of the many tool bars and menus that are typical in the current and previous Office versions. Office 2007 introduces the “Ribbon“, which will contain “Tabs”, “Groups”, and “Commands”. These three components will contain functions that are specific to the program you are currently in (for example, Word may not have all the same buttons/tabs as PowerPoint), but Microsoft says that once you learn the “Ribbon” in one program, you’ll have no problem with the others.
Office 2007 aims to make everyday tasks easier by displaying the most commonly used buttons (such as copy and paste) in prominent places. The new Office programs also feature “preview” functions, so you can tell if you like a change before you make it. For example, do you really want the text to be blue? Or do you want it to be red? Now you can see how it will look before you select it, which will remove the inconvenience of having to select “Undo” if you decide it wasn’t the look you were hoping for.
For a more in-depth look at what the new Office Suite will offer, check out the Office 2007 Overview. Additional training materials (free for a limited time) are available at: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/office2007/default.mspx .
If you would like to download a trial version of Office 2007, visit: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA101741481033.aspx.
Office 2007 will allow users to save files in older formats so that they are opened easily in Office 95-XP. The new Office suite uses an XML-based format, which will increase the security of files and reduce the file size. Unfortunately, if you save files in the new format, a converter will need to be installed before older versions of Office can open the files. For example, when an Office 2003 user tries to open an Office 2007 file, he/she will be asked if they want to install the converter to be able to open the file. ITS plans to include this converter in the computer labs as soon as possible, so that students who upgrade at home won’t run into problems when they try to open their files on-campus. Until it is available, faculty/staff/students who use Office 2007 may want to consider saving their files in an older format to ensure that they can be modified on-campus. To save your files in an older format in Office 2007 choose “Save as” and change the “Save type as” to the desired version (Office 2003 is the version of Office most widely available on-campus). Access 2007 files can’t be opened with older versions of Access, even with a converter. Staff can find the file format converter while on-campus at “L:\ITS Recommended Applications\File Format Converters” and off-campus on Microsoft’s site.
ITS recommends these minimum requirements for installing Office 2007 on campus computers: Windows XP Operating System with SP2; Pentium 3 with 500 MHz Processor and a minimum of 512 MB RAM (Dell GX270 minimum). For full specifications, please consult http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/suites/HA101668651033.aspx.
ITS plans to slowly implement Office 2007 for faculty and staff on University-owned computers over the next year, beginning in the Spring semester. There is no estimate for when Office 2007 will be available in the on-campus computer labs. Currently, ITS does not sell or take pre-orders for Office 2007. ITS estimates that Office 2007 will be available for students, faculty and staff to purchase at a discounted rate by Spring semester 2007. This is an estimated date however, and may change. Watch for an email announcement of the exact date when Office 2007 will be available for purchase from ITS!
New Wireless Network - “UMF_BASIC” January 16, 2007
Posted by admin in : Wireless Network , add a commentThe new wireless network in UCEN and the Library is now up and running. Wireless users in these buildings will notice a new wireless network name (or SSID) of “UMF_BASIC” now being broadcast. Wireless users who see this network name broadcasting can select it and be automatically connected. For those who are not able to see the broadcasted name, manually configuring your wireless device to connect to “UMF_BASIC” is all that is required.
ITS will continue to maintain a temporary “wireless help desk” on the 3rd floor of UCEN near the central elevator. Tuesday hours will be 10:00am until 2:00pm, and Wednesday hours will be 12:00pm until 2:00pm. Further days and times will be announced if it is deemed necessary. Assistance is also available during normal business hours in the ITS helpdesk located in 207 MSB, however please bring wireless concerns to the UCEN temporary help desk on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
Again, thank you for your patience during this transition period.
Phishing Alert! January 16, 2007
Posted by admin in : Expert Advice from the ITS HelpDesk, IT Security Tips , add a commentThis notification is to inform you about an e-mail phishing scam that looks like it has been sent from TCF Bank or other financial institutions, including eBay and PayPal. THE E-MAIL IS A FRAUD AND SHOULD BE DELETED IMMEDIATELY.
Although the e-mail message may look official, its real purpose is to collect personal information that can be used illegally. Banks do not send e-mail messages to solicit information and NEVER ask customers to confirm identity or personal information by e-mail. If you receive the e-mail message, please do not respond to it, or provide personal information on the fraudulent Web site as the message requests.
If you already have provided the personal information requested in the message, you should CONTACT YOUR BANK IMMEDIATELY BY PHONE and file a fraud alert.
This month, some people at U-M have been victimized by these scams and have had money withdrawn from their bank accounts. If you are a victim of fraud because of a phishing scam, you should work directly with your financial institution and the local police to resolve the situation. If you have been victimized and live on campus, please contact the U-M Department of Public Safety at (734) 763-1131 to file a police report.
Financial institutions do NOT request personal information, such as your social security number, account number, or personal identification number by e-mails that require you to follow a link to another site.
Please do not respond to such e-mail requests, or click on a link embedded in an e-mail to provide personal information. You could put your account at risk, or the phishers could open new accounts with your identity.
For more tips on avoiding identity theft, view http://identityweb.umich.edu. For more information from the Federal Trade Commission on phishing scams, see http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/phishingalrt.htm
Wireless Network Upgrade January 12, 2007
Posted by admin in : General News, Wireless Network , add a commentITS has been working on the installation and configuration of a new wireless network in the UCEN and Library buildings for the past few months. This new wireless network will bring many advantages to users of the wireless network, chief among these being greater speed, reliability and security. The new and old wireless networks have been running side-by-side in the UCEN and Library buildings for about two months, and this has caused some conflicts between the two networks. In order to finalize the new wireless network, the old wireless network will be shut down on Monday, January 15th. We expect that there will be some concerns and challenges among those attempting to use the new wireless network in these buildings, so ITS technicians will be available on Monday, January 15th, from 10:00am until noon, on the third floor of UCEN to answer questions and assist wireless users in configuring their computers for use with the new wireless network. Users with older computers should expect greater technical challenges, and ITS will make every effort to assist in resolving these issues, or recommending upgraded equipment. The wireless network elsewhere on campus will not be affected at this time. Eventually, the entire campus wireless infrastructure will be upgraded to meet the specifications and performance of the wireless network now in place in UCEN and the Library. As this upgrade process occurs, wireless users will be kept informed regarding the location of these upgrades and any technical challenges that may be expected.
We thank you for your patience during this huge effort to bring UM-Flint back to the forefront of wireless technology and provide our network users with the greatest possible capabilities.
For full details about the Wireless Network, please visit http://ww2.umflint.edu/its/helpdesk/wireless.htm.
Free VirusScan and Windows Defender January 10, 2007
Posted by admin in : Expert Advice from the ITS HelpDesk, IT Security Tips, Virus Alert , add a commentThe recent virus problem with Microsoft Word Documents serves as a reminder of how important it is to keep your virus scanning software up to date. University of Michigan-Flint faculty, staff, and students are eligible to use a FREE copy of the latest McAfee VirusScan. Make sure you have the most recent version of McAfee VirusScan available from ITS, and that you keep it updated. For details on how to obtain the newest version of McAfee VirusScan, please refer to QuickNote #26: Using Antivirus Software.
In addition to running the latest antivirus software, you should also use a spyware scanning and removal tool. ITS recommends that UMF staff and faculty install Windows Defender to assist with the task of keeping their computer safe from malicious spyware. Windows Defender is available on campus by accessing “ITS Recommended Software” on the L:\ drive. ITS recommends installing this version of Defender on your office computer, instead of obtaining it from another source (Microsoft’s website or Ann Arbor’s website).
Computer Lab Updates January 8, 2007
Posted by admin in : General News, Lab News , add a commentOver the holiday break the computers in 501 MSB computer lab were upgraded, and 50 computer stations were added to first and third floors of the Thompson Library. The new Dell Optiplex 745 computers feature:
2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
2 GB RAM
Radeon x1300 256MB Video Card
19 inch flat panel monitor
CD/DVD-R/RW
501 MSB contains 30 student workstations and 1 instructor workstation. The Library computer lab has a total of 75 workstations available for students, faculty, and staff. For a full list of hardware specifications for machines in 501 MSB please visit http://ww2.umflint.edu/its/labs/501MSB.htm. For a full list of hardware specifications for the new Library lab computers please visit http://ww2.umflint.edu/its/labs/library.htm.
Mcard Distribution for Winter 2007 January 3, 2007
Posted by admin in : General News, Lab News, Mcard , add a commentAt the beginning of every semester, ITS distributes Mcards in the UPAV (next to Subway). The dates for the Winter 2007 semester are:
January 3-4 –> 8am - 7pm
January 5 –> 8am - 4pm
January 8-11 –> 8am - 7 pm
January 12 –> 8am - 4pm
For full details please visit http://ww2.umflint.edu/its/projects/mcard.htm
