If you get a spam message, the best thing to do is to report it to Postini. They will then examine the message for identifying features that they can use to tweak the spam filters to do a better job in the future. Previously to submit a message was a relatively complicated procedure, however we have now simplified this so that if you open an e-mail that you believe to be spam, you can click the "Forward to Anti-Spam" button which will forward the message to Postini with all the required headers. You can see below where the new button appears on your email when you open it in Lotus Notes.

Once you have sent the spam message to Postini you can delete it from your mailbox. There is no need to forward the spam message to the Helpdesk. They cannot submit the message on your behalf because important information is lost when you send them the e-mail, meaning that Postini cannot process it.

Windows Vista
You may be aware that Microsoft has released or is releasing versions of a new operating system named Vista. Vista is being promoted by Microsoft as offering many benefits in the way of improved security and compliance, optimized desktop infrastructure, finding and using information, and enabling the mobile workforce. Vista is currently being tested against all of the PC hardware and software that the Smith School offers/supports. Due to a lack of support for Vista by third party software vendors (Novell among others), we do not currently have 100% compatibility between Vista and our environment. We will continue testing as hardware and software vendors release updates that move us toward that 100% compatibility. Until that time when we determine Vista is compatible with our environment, we will not support Vista on any PC.  The Office of Smith IT will keep you updated as we evaluate Vista and determine the optimal strategy in rolling Vista out to the community.

Logging into Novell for Someone Else? Stop!!
Remember that when you log into any computer with your Smith Novell account that anyone who uses that computer while you're logged in has access to all your personal data on K: as well as data on the departmental drives that you and others in your department share. Please never log into a computer for someone else with any account. We can help you work out another way to accomplish what you need to do without breaching the security of the network. The Office of Smith IT can provide temporary accounts for visitors or student workers if you need them. Just fill out the New Account Request Form to request accounts on Novell or Notes.

Because of need for greater network security, we will be searching for uses of multiple logins. If you are currently able to login to more than one machine at a time, expect that ability to go away in the very near future. If you have any concerns about this policy, please e-mail helpme@rhsmith.umd.edu.

Update Your Virus Protection
Our installations of McAfee are set to automatically update virus definitions, however, when security exploits are announced, this needs to be done more frequently. To protect your computer please manually update your McAfee virus definitions as soon as possible. To do this,
1. Right click on the red "V" in the taskbar at the bottom right of your computer screen.
2. Choose "update now" and it will update to the latest version of "dat."
Of course, new viruses or "exploits" are most likely being created, so you should manually run McAfee updates daily.

Update Your Windows Critical Patches
If you have a computer with our software image (such as your office computer), that PC is set to automatically update critical Windows patches overnight. We recommend that you remain logged into Novell overnight, and THEN RE-BOOT YOUR COMPUTER IN THE MORNING. This will download the latest critical patches available for Windows, and when you re-boot your computer in the morning they will be installed. As always, the Office of Smith IT recommends that you distrust all communication (attachments, files, links, etc.) that comes unannounced to best protect yourself from malicious attacks.
►More information on the latest Microsoft Advisories