BEWARE: Global Gateway phish

Several e-mails of the following type have been received at W&L.  Do NOT click on the link in the e-mail; instead, forward the e-mail to spam@wlu.edu so that W&Ls  spam filter will “learn” to block messages that fit this pattern.

The text of the fraudulent e-mail  follows:

From: FirstData [mailto:GatewaySupport@virtual1-firstdata.com]

Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 9:00 AM

To:

Subject: NOTICE

Dear Global Gateway Customer,

Your online account has been locked <link> due to unusual activity.

Please click to unlock your online account, and continue using our services.

Sept. 27 wireless update

In the last week, Information Technology Services has implemented a series of changes to the network, working closely with Aruba, our wireless vendor, in order to address wireless problems on campus. Some of the changes have been successful, and some have not. ITS has also added wireless capacity to meet unexpected demand in several locations.

ITS implemented several enhancements provided by Aruba to address periodic, dropped connections experienced by Macintosh users. We believe most of the Macintosh-related wireless problems have been solved, but please contact us (see details below) if you are still experiencing problems apart from the location-specific issues mentioned in the next paragraph.

ITS implemented a vendor-supplied solution on Monday, Sept. 20 to fix 40 malfunctioning wireless access points located in numerous buildings across campus (see list at bottom), but the solution was unsuccessful. These access points re-start at intervals ranging from 20 minutes to 12 hours, causing devices connected to them to lose their connections. ITS is expecting another solution from the vendor this week.

In the past week, ITS added wireless access points to the following locations, where heavy wireless use resulted in slow connections: Leyburn Library, Pi Kappa Phi, Kappa Delta and the science complex.

ITS will continue to address wireless problems when we become aware of them; check http://its.wlu.edu to see the latest updates. We encourage you to contact us about any problems with wireless service, contact the Information Desk (540-458-4357 or help@wlu.edu). If you live in a residence hall or sorority, you may also wish to use a wired connection, which is typically faster and more reliable than wireless. Ethernet cords to connect your computer to the wired network are available from the University Store, Wal-Mart and other retailers.

Here is the list of malfunctioning wireless access points. These represent less than 10 percent of our installed access points campus-wide:

• Kappa Alpha
• Davis-109
• Graham-Lees-112
• Gaines-209
• Graham-Lees-427
• Gaines-259
• Woods Creek West-G1
• Davis-203
• Gaines-270
• Gaines-220
• Woods Creek West-E1
• Woods Creek West-G3
• Graham-Lees-103
• Graham-Lees-431
• Woods Creek West-G2
• Kappa Sigma
• Graham-Lees-203
• Graham-Lees-303
• Gaines-350
• Graham-Lees-443
• Davis-115
• Gaines-313
• Gaines-318
• Gaines-331
• Davis-307
• Davis-303
• Gaines-410
• Gaines-294
• Sigma Phi Epsilon
• Woods Creek West-E2
• Gaines-243
• Graham-Lees-402
• Elrod-Atrium
• Gaines-228
• Gaines-136
• Graham-Lees-213
• Davis-214
• Gaines-305
• Davis-218
• Davis-127

Sept. 27 week, Smart Zone training

The week of Sept. 27th, Information Technology Services will offer these 10-15 minute training sessions at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the Smart Zone in Leyburn Library (Main Level, by the entrance nearest the Commons):

• Monday, Sept. 27:  How to Import Your Class Schedule into Outlook 2007 or Outlook Live.  Led by Julie Knudson
• Tuesday, Sept. 28: Using Tests & Quizzes in Sakai  Led by John Blackburn
• Wednesday, Sept. 29: How to Organize Your Class Notes with Microsoft Office OneNote.  Led by John Watkins
• Thursday, Sept. 39: How to Create Group Mailings in Entourage and new Mac Outlook 2011.  Led by Bob Shaeffer
• Friday, Oct. 1: Skype for Beginners.  Led by Julie Knudson

For more information, or to suggest additional topics for Smart Zone training, contact the Information Desk (help@wlu.edu or x4357)

Wireless: improving, but few problems remain

About 99 percent of attempts to connect to W&L’s wireless network are now succeeding, after a series of changes implemented in the last week by ITS.

Early the week of Sept. 13, only 94-97 percent of connection attempts were succeeding. Some Mac users experienced dropped connections campus-wide, while students in Gaines, Gilliam, Graham-Lees and Davis residence halls lost their connections to the wireless network at intervals ranging from 20 minutes to 12 hours. After a series of changes directed by W&L’s wireless vendor, most Mac users are now connecting successfully to the wireless network. But a change implemented on Monday, Sept. 20 failed to address the problems in the four residence halls.

In addition, heavy wireless traffic in Leyburn Library at times overwhelmed wireless equipment in that building. ITS added an additional wireless access point to the building this afternoon (Friday, Sept. 24) to address that problem.

ITS will continue to work with its wireless vendor to address wireless problems; check http://its.wlu.edu to the see the latest updates. To report problems with wireless service, contact the Information Desk (540-458-4357 or help@wlu.edu).