Smith College TechNotes blog

Over the past few days, a number of people at Smith have received emails that claim to be from an organization soliciting feedback on ‘campus’ related software development. Users who visit the website are prompted to submit personal information that could lead to additional phishing attacks.

Please remember that Smith will never send you emails asking for personal information, and if you are unsure about the source or reliability of an email, call ITS at (413) 585 4487 (or email us at 4its@smith.edu) before responding to the message or following any links.

Sample email below:

From: “Leah A.” <leah@CollegeAdmin.org>
To: <*****@email.smith.edu>
Date: 2/5/2008 6:14 PM
Subject: ATTN: Help Needed

This semester, we have begun working on new web systems to better assist students and faculty with communication and academic resources. Some of the work has already started; however, we need your input! Please take a minute or so to answer a few insightful questions. Your input will be used for our future releases. Thanks again!

http://www.College*****Admin.org/mem/b_1835918

A few times a year, brief survey requests are sent to students and faculty. If you do not wish to help us in the future, please let us know:

http://www.College*****Admin.org/web.php

Bogus emails came from the following domains: CollegeBody.org, 2study.org, LocalPolls.org, SocialCollege.org, StudyTree.org, StudentOutlook.org, SocialBoard.org, StudentChange.org, InputDaily.org and had the following subjects: Important Student Survey, New Class Web System, ATTN: Campus Web, Your Help Needed, ATTN: Student Web, Student Response Form.

Rules have been added to MessageScreen to block these emails, but users who have MessageScreen turned off will still be at risk. For more information on MessageScreen, read this TechNotes post: Email Quarantine & Spam or Login to MessageScreen.

Also, with Valentine’s Day approaching, please be wary of e-cards; especially if they prompt you to download codecs or other software to allow you to view the message.

For more information on phishing scams and email:

• Fraudsters offer “IRS Tax Refund” [McAffee Avert Labs Blog]
• Recognize phishing scams and fraudulent e-mails [Microsoft]