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 This page is provided
by the Information Technology (IT) department as answers to some common
questions.
For further technical
information, call the IT Help Desk at extension 2489.
If you need training
on using any LAVC system, contact the Staff
Development office at extension 2712.
Go to
"Report spam"
- At LAVC, the IT department is
working hard to stop the most obvious spam. Our systems can stop
thousands of spam emails every day but still many find their way to our
mail boxes.
- Some malicious spam messages
pretend to be sent by the IT department to ask you to perform work on your
computer or to inform you that your account has been deactivated or
cancelled. The IT department at LAVC does not operate in this manner. Do
not trust an email that is sent informing you that your email account
has been deactivated. If you
follow this logic then how would you access this email if you no longer
have access to the email system?
- Learn to trust your
instincts, if something feels like a scam, it probably is.
- Another sign that an email is
not legitimate is that the message will generally have major grammar
problems. You can think of this
as the revenge of your elementary school grammar teacher.
Spam
- Spam is bulk unsolicited
communication.
- Spam is a growing problem not
only at LAVC but to the whole computer community.
- The effects of spam range
from annoying and disruptive to dangerous and devastating to the user
and to the school network.
- Span presents itself in many
forms. The most typical spams are unsolicited
fax, emails and Web advertisement.
Types
of spam
- Junk mail: Mass mailings from
legitimate businesses that is unwanted.
- Non-commercial spam: Mass
mailings of unsolicited messages without an apparent commercial motive
including chain letters, urban legends and joke collections.
- Offensive and Pornographic
spam: Mass mailings of “adult” advertisements or pornographic pictures.
- Spam scams: Mass mailings of
fraudulent messages or those designed to con people out of personal
information for the purpose of identity theft and other criminal acts.
- Virus spam: Mass mailings
that contain viruses, Trojans, malicious scripts, etc.
Web
ads
- Sometimes, when visiting some
sites, the site will open a Window with advertisement or messages.
Sometimes, the message will pretend to come from your system
asking/tricking you into clicking on the window to automatically
download and install programs into your computer.
- Web adds
can be used to sell products or to hijack your browser. If your web
browser gets hijacked, you will lose control of it.
What
not to do
- Reply to the email: You will
get more spam.
- Ask to be removed: You just
told the spammer that somebody reads the email. You will get more spam.
- Go to a web site: Some Web
sites will attempt to automatically install programs on your computer.
- Open attachments: Some
attachments contain programs that try to automatically install
themselves on your computer.
- Click on windows that open
automatically: Some Web sites will attempt to automatically install
programs on your computer. Just close the window.
What
you can do
- You can use the anti-spam
feature in your Microsoft
Outlook (Windows, desktop version).
- Use your school email for
only academic related communication.
- File a spam complain with the
Federal Trade Commission.
- If you suspect that your
computer has been compromised call the IT Help Desk at extension 2489.
Federal
Trade Commission
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