Past Bulletins
Conflicker virus warning
Conficker is a new and virulent worm that can spread across computer networks without human interaction. It takes remote control of infected computers. It has been modified at least twice, to date.
The virus can infect computers with weak passwords and open shared folders and other open shared network resources. The virus can infect external hard drives and flash memory drives attached to infected computers.
Security experts report that an attack from this worm is scheduled for April 1, 2009 -- but are unsure about what it will do.
The best protection policy for this and other virus threats is to make sure that you are using strong passwords, and that you have the latest security updates and patches for your anti-virus software.
Microsoft has more detailed information about the Conficker worm at http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/worms/conficker.mspx
Reminder regarding fraudulent e-mails
Just a reminder to be cautious about what information you transmit over e-mail. SUNY New Paltz (along with many other higher education institutions) have noticed an increase in 'phishing' scams sent over e-mail. These currently are involving messages sent saying something to the effect of "Your account will be disabled, please reply with your username and password" or something along those lines.
No Computer Services employee will EVER ask for your password over e-mail (and will not require it over the phone either). If you receive any e-mail specifically asking for your e-mail username and password which is not already being marked as SPAM - please forward them to spam@newpaltz.edu.
We are doing our best to filter out these messages (and the vast majority of such messages have been filtered out so far). The final responsibility regarding your username and password(s) is yours though so please do not give them out.
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail the Student Computer Help Desk.
P.S. No business, institution, financial services, or other provider should ever ask you for your username and password over e-mail. This should be a seen as a general reminder regarding any services you use (at New Paltz, at your financial institution, facebook, whatever).
Computer Network Security Vulnerability using Sun Java Exploit
Throughout the past several weeks, we have noticed a large number of Winfixer/ Vundo / Virutmonde virus victims who are using an older version of Sun Java installed in Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel. Other older or newer versions may also be installed, however, we need to take the proper precautions to prevent your machine from becoming infected with these viruses.
Vundo, or the Vundo Trojan (also known as Virtumonde or Virtumondo and sometimes referred to as MS Juan) is a Trojan horse that is known to cause popups and advertising for rogue antispyware programs, and sporadically other misbehavior including performance degradation and denial of service with some websites including Google and Facebook. An update to Java is a necessary step in the removal of Vundo. Many of the popups advertise fraudulent programs including (but not limited to) Sysprotect, Storage Protector, AntiSpywareMaster, WinFixer, and AntiVirus 2009.
Therefore all users are encouraged to please check in your Control Panel, under Add/Remove programs and uninstall any older versions of Sun Java. And in the future, remember to remove older versions of Java when you automatically update to a newer version to avoid exploitation of older versions left on your system.
WinXP Anti-Virus 2008 IS A VIRUS!
Many users have been coming to the help desk with WIN XP ANTIVIRUS 2008, which depsite it's name, is in fact a virus.
DO NOT INSTALL THIS SOFTWARE. Even if it tells you that your computer has viruses, problems or is otherwise not working correctly, NEVER install it.
If you get a popup on your screen asking if you want to install it, disconnect your Ethernet cable from your computer and shut your computer off. Then turn your computer back on, and re-connect to the Internet. This is the only (and best) way to ensure that you do not get infected.
If you are looking for an anti-virus package, you can use Symantec Anti-Virus, which SUNY New Paltz provides for free to all students.
Annual E-Mail Account Deactivation
2520 student e-mail accounts were deleted of students who have been not been registered since Summer 2007 or earlier.
Notification was sent to these accounts in April.
If you are registered for classes for the Fall 2008 semester, please e-mail or call the help desk with your NPCUID, your name, the course number, section number and course title for at least one class you are enrolled in for Fall 2008. We will verify your enrollment before recreating your account.
If you are not enrolled in classes for Fall 2008, an account cannot be created for you. Additionally, we cannot recreate an account that has been deleted. You must currenlty be enrolled in a class at SUNYNP in order to have access to an NPMail account.
IMPORTANT: Deceptive E-Mail Scam
Some people have received an email message claiming to be from the 'newpaltz support team'saying that their is a problem with their account and asking them to reply with their userid and
password. THIS IS A SCAM! We will *NEVER* ask you to supply your password in an
email - nor will any company, for that matter. Just delete the email.
Fraudulent e-mail message sent
A student's e-mail account was compromised and was used to send a scam e-mail to many addresses on campus.
The compromised account has been locked. Remember, Computer Services, or any other department on campus, will NEVER ask you for your password.
If you receive such messages you can forward them to spam@newpaltz.edu. DO NOT send them to the Student Help Desk.
IMPORTANT: Deceptive E-Mail Scam
Some people have received an email message claiming to be from the 'newpaltz support team'saying that their is a problem with their account and asking them to reply with their userid and
password. THIS IS A SCAM! We will *NEVER* ask you to supply your password in an
email - nor will any company, for that matter. Just delete the email. Do not forward the message to the Student Help Desk.
Important Campus Notice regarding Copyright Infringement
An alarming number of SUNY New Paltz students have recently received copyright infringement notices regarding the sharing of music, movies, television shows etc. In addition to any action taken by the college (including the loss of your Internet connection for up to 10 days), infringer's are also subject to criminal and substantial punitive damages by the copyright holders. Please ensure that all file sharing of copyrighted material is disabled to avoid unnecessary academic and legal consequences. Even if you have disabled file sharing tools in the past, new updates often re-enable sharing.
For information on how to disable file sharing programs contact the Student Help Desk:
Phone 257-3597 - HUM 103 - http://www.newpaltz.edu/helpdesk To find out more about SUNY New Paltz DMCA procedures visit - http://acs.newpaltz.edu/resnet/dmca
Recent e-mail scams
Hello all,
Just a reminder to be cautious about what information you transmit over
e-mail. SUNY New Paltz (along with many other higher education
institutions) have noticed an increase in 'phishing' scams sent over
e-mail.
These currently are involving messages sent saying something to the
effect of "Your account will be disabled, please reply with your
username and password".
No Computer Services employee will EVER ask for your password over
e-mail (and will not require it over the phone either). If you receive
any e-mail specifically asking for your e-mail username and password -
please forward them to spam@newpaltz.edu.
We are doing our best to filter out these messages (and the vast
majority of such messages have been filtered out so far). The final
responsibility regarding your username and password(s) is yours though
so please do not give them out.
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me back.
P.S. No internet, financial services, or other provider should ever ask
you for your username and password over e-mail. This should be a seen
as a general reminder regarding any services you use (at New Paltz, at
your financial institution, facebook, whatever).
Important Campus Notice regarding Copyright Infringement
An alarming number of SUNY New Paltz students have recently received copyright infringement notices regarding the sharing of music, movies, television shows etc. In addition to any action taken by the college (including the loss of your Internet connection for up to 10 days), infringer's are also subject to criminal and substantial punitive damages by the copyright holders. Please ensure that all file sharing of copyrighted material is disabled to avoid unnecessary academic and legal consequences. Even if you have disabled file sharing tools in the past, new updates often re-enable sharing.
For information on how to disable file sharing programs contact the Student Help Desk:
Phone 257-3597 - HUM 103 - http://www.newpaltz.edu/helpdesk To find out more about SUNY New Paltz DMCA procedures visit - http://acs.newpaltz.edu/resnet/dmca
Users being blocked from Blackboard courses for non-payment
Students who are enrolled in Summer classes (of any kind) and have not paid their bill had access to their summer courses turned off. A week ago, all enrolled students received an email about paying their invoice or they would be denied access to their summer courses. In addition to the email they had a notice on my.np and an announcement on Blackboard. They continue to have access to Blackboard but while they have unpaid tuition they do not have access to their summer courses. For the remainder of this week and throughout next week Blackboard will be updated three times a day: 8:00A, Noon & 4P This will catch students who pay via internet overnight, in the morning and after lunch.
It is campus policy that anyone registering for a course after a semester or summer session begins must pay for the course at the time of registration. The cutoff date for paying was June 3.
If you continue to have problems with Blackboard even after paying your balance, please e-mail Blackboard administrator Linda Smith.
Dual degree students blocked from Blackboard courses
Student Accounts has marked some of the Dual Degree students for non-payment of their bill. They do not pay a bill (the Univ. in Turkey is responsible for everything), but they are supposed to sign a piece of paper saying they are here.
Dual Degree Students who are having problems with Blackboard should first go to the Student Accounts office whether they have a bill or not.
