Smith College TechNotes blog

Dear Smith Students,

Since the beginning of the spring semester, ITS has been receiving increasing reports from students of network slow-downs and “sluggishness.” Our network usage statistics show this is primarily due to an increase in the overall volume of peer-to-peer traffic on the campus network. (Read more…)

Released yesterday (2/12), Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.4 Update “fixes a vulnerability that an attacker could potentially use to overwrite the contents of your computer’s memory with malicious code.”

For a fast download, go to Version Tracker.

For more information, visit the Microsoft Office for Mac website.

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. (Read more…)

The ITS Spring 2008 Technology Training Schedule is now available on-line. The schedule includes hands-on workshops for Smith students, faculty, and staff on essential computing skills, web development, and digital media development.

For class descriptions and registration information: Spring 2008 Technology Training

Starting today, Smith web servers now only accept secure connections. What does this mean?

If you maintain a web site on a Smith web server, you will need to switch from non-secure file transfer (FTP) to secure file transfer (SFTP) to continue transferring files to and from the web server successfully.

For more information and instructions on how to switch, see the TARA page, Using Secure File Transfer to Transfer Your Files.

Run Windows Update tonight and bypass Clean Access. Microsoft released a number of (most people will get seven) security updates today that will be enforced by Clean Access on Thursday (12/13). Updating Windows now instead of waiting for Clean Access to enforce the update will be faster — and you won’t be temporarily kicked off the network either.

Also, remember to be a “good citizen” and don’t download your Windows Updates while you’re connected to wireless.

A little over a month ago, I wrote about a new kind of malware for Macs (Mac Users, be wary!) — a DNS-changing trojan posing as a codec (used for watching videos online). The same tactics are used by malware designers to infect PC computers; read this post from McAfee Avert Labs for an example of a fake codec: More Malware-Laced Codecs

For technical information from McAfee: Puper.dldr

Edit: for more information on DNS-changing trojans: DNS attack could signal Phishing 2.0  MacWorld.com]

After upgrading to OS X 10.4.11 (the latest version of Tiger), many people with Intel Core Duo processors are encountering a problem with PowerPoint. Files will open and can be edited, but slideshow mode causes the program to crash. (Read more…)

Q: I haven’t been visiting any sites that I hadn’t at the beginning of the year, but I’ve been getting a lot of pop up ads recently that significantly slow down my computer. How can I fix this?

A: As you’ve probably guessed, keeping your computer free from malware (which include viruses, adware, spyware, and annoying popups) isn’t easy — but it can be done if you have the right tools. (Read more…)

If you have a personal website, or you help maintain an academic or administrative website at Smith, check your settings! (Read more…)