A Wi-Fi service outage is planned Tuesday May 24th 10:00 p.m. until Wednesday May 25th 06:00 a.m.. Network Services will be upgrading code on network equipment which will cause a campus-wide wireless outage. This outage is necessary so that network engineers may introduce newer wireless access points to the campus.
The wired network service will NOT be affected during this outage window so there should not be any interruption in general internet use for the campus community, or in the use of the campus wired networks.
Please plan accordingly. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and we do appreciate your patience.
Questions or concerns may be directed to ITSD Service Desk (617.287.5220, ITServiceDesk@umb.edu)
To get updates on this alert and
see the status of other systems, visit: umb.edu/it/status
We all owe a debt of gratitude to today’s scammer for all the clues he gave, warning us we were about to be hustled! However, you can’t rely on obvious signs to protect yourself. Today’s entry was forwarded to IT staff by numerous people on campus:
The email has a link in it. IT Staff were able to investigate this link in a secure way, and saw it directed to a form requesting the user enter their email username and password. Trained IT Staff opened the web page to take the picture below, however you should avoid clicking a link in a suspicious email because it could contain phishing attempts, malicious code, or illegal content, and could cause harm to your computer. Here is the page that these links led to:
“Pippy” was removed from the logo in 2009.
Let’s list all the ways that this scammer showed us that they are trying to hustle us. The email text is confusing, the sender’s name doesn’t show up in our staff directory, the sender is using a non-umb.edu email address (probably a previous phishing victim), and the logo on the website is about 7 years out of date.
But what’s the number one way we can tell that this page is trying to hustle us? Let’s get a close up of that URL…Yes, the URL of this page actually has “Hustle” in the address!
All that being said, a point that this blog always tries to hammer home is “Never assume a scammer’s stupidity will adequately protect you from their malice.” (If I may adapt Hanlon’s razor…)
What this means is while many attacks are obvious fakes, it’s not hard for a scammer to make a perfect looking email and web page-you can’t depend on an incompetent scammer to keep yourself safe!
Today’s scammer did a poor job, but how could you be sure it’s a fake, even if the attack were a perfect forgery? Check the URL and the certificate!
To contrast, here is the url bar for the real UMass Boston webmail login. First you can see it says “umb.edu/”. But beyond that, we can tell the page has a security certificate from the green icon. If you click on this green icon, you get additional info about its validity.
Note, the certificate icon will look different depending on your browser and operating system. Do some research to find out what you should be seeing on yours.
If you are suspicious of a file, link, website, or email, you can contact the IT department to ask if it may be a scam. Forward a copy of a suspicious email to abuse@umb.edu.
Always remember…
Don’t take the bait! IT will NEVER ask you for your password. Phishing emails attempt to deceive you into giving up your private information by leading you to fraudulent websites. Learn more at: http://www.umb.edu/it/getting_services/security/phishing/
On April 12th, 2016, Microsoft released security patches for:
Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista
Windows servers 2012, 2008, 2003
Microsoft Office 2016; 2013; 2010, 2007
Internet Explorer 11, 9
We strongly encourage you to apply these patches to your PC as soon as possible. For information about these updates please visit: https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/ms16-apr
Click on the Windows logo located on the lower left hand corner of your computer screen, a menu will appear, click on “Control Panel”.
Once in the Control Panel, type the words “windows update” in the Search Control Panel field located in the upper right hand corner. As you do, the following screen will immediately appear.
Now, in the upper left handle corner, click the words “check for update”. This screen will appear
Click the “Check for updates” button to begin the checking. The following screen will appear after the checking is completed. All Important Updates must be installed. Click the “Install updates” button to begin the installation. You will need to reboot your computer to finish the installation later.
Alternatively, if you are using Internet Explorer you can click on Tools > and select Windows Update to install the latest security patches.
Tax day is a little more than a month away, which means phishing season is in full swing.The IRS says it’s seen a “surge” this year in phishing emails, with thieves baiting special hooks for payroll and human-resources workers in hopes of snagging a company’s entire stash of employee Social Security numbers and other personal information.
Meanwhile, tax-season phishing attacks against individuals are also up. Last month, the IRS said it had seen a quadrupling of phishing- and malware-related incidents for this year’s tax season.
Experts warn that phishing emails often masquerade as legitimate communication from your bank, human resources department or email provider. But in reality, they’re part of a scheme designed to steal the confidential information stored in your computer, or to gain access to the network it’s attached to. And this time of year, that information can be used to file a false tax return.
While people are more aware of the danger of phishing more than ever before, the lures continue to evolve and increase in sophistication, making it tough for the average person to discern which emails are legitimate and which ones aren’t.
To read more visit — http://a.msn.com/r/2/AAgzcgt?a=1&m=EN-US
On March 8th, 2016, Microsoft released security patches for:
Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, RT, RT8.1
Windows servers 2012, 2008, 2003
Microsoft Office 2016; 2013; 2010, 2007
We strongly encourage you to apply these patches to your PC as soon as possible. For information about these updates please visit: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/security/ms16-mar.aspx
Click on the Windows logo located on the lower left hand corner of your computer screen, a menu will appear, click on “Control Panel”.
Once in the Control Panel, type the words “windows update” in the Search Control Panel field located in the upper right hand corner. As you do, the following screen will immediately appear.
Now, in the upper left handle corner, click the words “check for update”. This screen will appear
Click the “Check for updates” button to begin the checking. The following screen will appear after the checking is completed. All Important Updates must be installed. Click the “Install updates” button to begin the installation. You will need to reboot your computer to finish the installation later.
Alternatively, if you are using Internet Explorer you can click on Tools > and select Windows Update to install the latest security patches.
In June 2016, as part of a University-wide upgrade to the systems that manage your account in various applications (i.e. Wiser, Blackboard, email), the Boston campus will be introducing a single email account for users.
What does this mean? Faculty and staff who take classes at UMass Boston will no longer be required to have two email accounts – your existing account will provide you the access to all the web services you need. Whether you are a student, staff or faculty you will only need one email account to access all needed UMass Boston applications.
Why are these changes being made? Having two separate email accounts, with different passwords and different access capabilities can be confusing and frustrating for many users. By issuing one email account per person, we will improve security, reduce costs, and make your life simpler.
Who will benefit from this change? Faculty and Staff that take classes will no longer be required to have two separate email accounts. Your current staff email credentials will not change and it will now provide you all your required access as a student.
What if I already have two UMB email accounts? If you are a staff or faculty member taking classes (or vice versa), and already have both a staff and student email account, we will reach out to you individually to help consolidate your two accounts in a way that will minimize disruption.
How do I find out more? You can call (7-5220) or email the UMB IT Service desk (ITServiceDesk@umb.edu) for assistance by visiting umb.edu/it/help, or attend one of our info sessions to be scheduled throughout the Spring semester.
On February 9th, 2016, Microsoft released security patches for:
Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, RT, RT8.1
Windows servers 2012, 2008, 2003
Microsoft Office 2016; 2013; 2010, 2007
We strongly encourage you to apply these patches to your PC as soon as possible. For information about these updates please visit: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/security/ms16-feb.aspx
Click on the Windows logo located on the lower left hand corner of your computer screen, a menu will appear, click on “Control Panel”.
Once in the Control Panel, type the words “windows update” in the Search Control Panel field located in the upper right hand corner. As you do, the following screen will immediately appear.
Now, in the upper left handle corner, click the words “check for update”. This screen will appear
Click the “Check for updates” button to begin the checking. The following screen will appear after the checking is completed. All Important Updates must be installed. Click the “Install updates” button to begin the installation. You will need to reboot your computer to finish the installation later.
Alternatively, if you are using Internet Explorer you can click on Tools > and select Windows Update to install the latest security patches.
On January 12th, 2016, Microsoft released security patches for:
Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista RT, RT8.1
Windows servers 2012, 2008, 2003
Microsoft Office 2016; 2013; 2010, 2007
We strongly encourage you to apply these patches to your PC as soon as possible. For information about these updates please visit: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/security/ms16-jan.aspx
Click on the Windows logo located on the lower left hand corner of your computer screen, a menu will appear, click on “Control Panel”.
Once in the Control Panel, type the words “windows update” in the Search Control Panel field located in the upper right hand corner. As you do, the following screen will immediately appear.
Now, in the upper left handle corner, click the words “check for update”. This screen will appear
Click the “Check for updates” button to begin the checking. The following screen will appear after the checking is completed. All Important Updates must be installed. Click the “Install updates” button to begin the installation. You will need to reboot your computer to finish the installation later.
Alternatively, if you are using Internet Explorer you can click on Tools > and select Windows Update to install the latest security patches.
Click on the Windows logo located on the lower left hand corner of your computer screen, a menu will appear, click on “Control Panel”.
Once in the Control Panel, type the words “windows update” in the Search Control Panel field located in the upper right hand corner. As you do, the following screen will immediately appear.
Now, in the upper left handle corner, click the words “check for update”. This screen will appear
Click the “Check for updates” button to begin the checking. The following screen will appear after the checking is completed. All Important Updates must be installed. Click the “Install updates” button to begin the installation. You will need to reboot your computer to finish the installation later.
Alternatively, if you are using Internet Explorer you can click on Tools > and select Windows Update to install the latest security patches.
Did you know that all UMass Boston Faculty, Staff, and Students get access to Microsoft Office for FREE? That’s Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and more, not just for Mac and PC, but also for your cell phone and tablet — install it on up to 5 different devices!
On November 5th, Microsoft employees visited UMass Boston, and with a few IT staffers, set up shop outside the Campus Center Cafeteria to help students install Office software on their laptops and mobile devices.
Over a few hours, around 150 students stopped by to ask questions, get assistance, pick up a free t-shirt, and learn about this great service.
Did you miss the event? Don’t fret! You can learn more about installing Microsoft office for FREE at:
Yes, the URL of this page actually has “Hustle” in the address!
