APC Surge Protector Product Recall

Information and Technology Services has received a notification about particular models of APC surge protectors (pictured below) being recalled for safety concerns. From the information we have received, these models have overheated in some instances and pose a potential fire risk.  We have already identified a few locations on campus that have been using the affected surge protectors, but we do not have documentation to track who else on campus might still be using this product.  Please check the recall site here to identify if any of the surge protectors in your areas are included in the recall.  If you find that your department has one of these surge protectors in use, please stop using it immediately and contact the Help Desk at 253-535-7525 to let us know.  We will locate a replacement for you and submit the claim through APC.  For additional information on the recall, please see the information posted by KOMO news and if you have additional questions don’t hesitate to contact the Help Desk by phone at 253-535-7525 or email at helpdesk@plu.edu.

Spam Report 9/9/2013

At approximately 2:00 pm today, the Help Desk received reports of a spam email offering money for survey taking.  A screenshot of the email text is attached to this post.

While this is different than the usual phishing emails we receive, we are posting a warning on this because it's very important to be able to identify and avoid scam emails.  Often times scammers will send out enticing emails offering vast sums of money for little to no work; in cases like these, the old adage applies:  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you have already responded to the email, please discontinue all communication immediately.  If you have provided personal information, such as your bank account information, please contact your Bank immediately and discuss the issue, they will advise you on the proper procedure for protecting your accounts.

If you have given out any password or log in information, please follow our standard procedures for possibly compromised accounts:

• Update your epass password at http://epass.plu.edu
• Update your password on any sites where you used that password (i.e., if your epass was the same as your bank password, update your bank password as well)
• Log into your Gmail and sign out of all other sessions; to do this, scroll down to the bottom of the page and look for the section which says "Last Account Activity"; click on the "Details" link; a window will appear which will let you force sign out all other sessions.

Any questions, please contact the Help Desk at 253-535-7525 or helpdesk@plu.edu.  You can also stop in at the Help Desk located on the first floor of the Library.

-D.D.

Example of too good to be true.  Click to enlarge

Spam Report 8/29/13

At approximately 6:30 pm on August 28th, a wave of spam emails went out to many users on campus.  The Help Desk began receiving reports this morning of the email.  At the bottom of this post is a write up of how we determined this email to be fraudulent.

As always, whenever you receive a message you think might be a phishing email, err on the side of caution and ignore it.  If you ever aren't sure, call the Help Desk at 253-535-7525, and we will be glad to help confirm or deny it.

If you responded to the email and provided any information, please do the following:

• Update your epass password at http://epass.plu.edu
• Update your password on any sites where you used that password (i.e., if your epass was the same as your bank password, update your bank password as well)
• Log into your Gmail and sign out of all other sessions; to do this, scroll down to the bottom of the page and look for the section which says "Last Account Activity"; click on the "Details" link; a window will appear which will let you force sign out all other sessions.

If you need assistance with any of these steps or have questions about the phishing email, please contact the Help Desk at 253-535-7525 or email us at helpdesk@plu.edu.

Our analysis of the email (Click to Enlarge)

 

Gmail Inbox to be updated; Mailbox tabs and graphics update

Recently posted on the Official Google Blog, Google is planning on rolling out an update for Gmail's inbox which changes the overall look of the inbox.  This is largely an aesthetic update, but the default is a bit different from the interface we all know and use daily.  The video below gives us a brief tour of the new inbox.

↵ Use original player

Meet Gmail's New Inbox

By Google

YouTube

• 1080p
• 720p
• 360p
• 240p FLV

← Replay

X

i

As of right now details are a bit sparse as to how email is filtered into the tabs or how much control users have over tabs; we will update users as more information arrives.

If you do not like the idea of multiple tabs in your email, you can always switch it back to classic mode.

This update should be rolling out over the next few weeks, though a specific time has not been stated.

Original Link

Spam/Phishing Email Report 6/5/13

This afternoon, the Help Desk began receiving reports of a new spam/phishing email going around the PLU domain.  The original email, as well as a mark up explaining what identifies it as a phishing email, can be found at the bottom of this post.

As always, whenever you receive a message you think might be a phishing email, err on the side of caution and ignore it.  If you ever aren't sure, call the Help Desk at 253-535-7525, and we will be glad to help confirm or deny it.

If you responded to the email and provided any information, please do the following:

• Update your epass password at http://epass.plu.edu
• Update your password on any sites where you used that password (i.e., if your epass was the same as your bank password, update your bank password as well)
• Log into your Gmail and sign out of all other sessions; to do this, scroll down to the bottom of the page and look for the section which says "Last Account Activity"; click on the "Details" link; a window will appear which will let you force sign out all other sessions.

If you need assistance with any of these steps or have questions about the phishing email, please contact the Help Desk at 253-535-7525 or email us at helpdesk@plu.edu.

How did we know this was a phishing email?  Click to enlarge 

and read how!

Spam Email Report 5/10/13

At approximately 10:00 am this morning, the Help Desk received reports of multiple spam emails being sent to people's email.  The messages (posted at the bottom of this blog post) contain mostly gibberish hyperlinks.

As always, these sorts of unsolicited emails are phishing/spam emails.  Remember the following rules:

• Never click on a link sent by someone you do not know
• Never email anyone your username and password
• Never give personal information out in response to random emails
• Always err on the side of caution -- if you're not sure about an email, feel free to ask!  We'll gladly assist

If you have sent out your information or clicked on a link in an unsolicited email, please contact the Help Desk immediately at 253-535-7525 or helpdesk@plu.edu.  Alternatively, you can stop in at the Help Desk on the first floor of the Library.  If you have submitted your password to a suspected spam/phishing email, please go to http://epass.plu.edu immediately and change your password.  If you need assistance with updating your password, please contact the Help Desk.

Thank you,

I&TS Help Desk


Below is a screenshot of a copy of the message.  We've broken down how we identified that it is an illegitimate email and most like a phishing email.

Click for Larger version

Update to Google Drive Chat

Over the course of the next day or two, Google will be updating the chat function in Google Drive.  The chat will be changing from the old colored squares to using everyone's Google Profile Picture.  This is part of Google's project to unify all the different chat tools across their products.

New features will include the ability to add people to your Google+ circles without leaving Google Drive, a one-button "Chat with all" button that instantly starts a conversation with everyone in the document.

So be on the look out for the update, it should be a nice change!


Original Post From Google