Botnets are reappearing on K-State campus
by the K-State Security Incident Response Team
published April 19, 2005
On April 15, a memo was e-mailed to K-State's departmental security contacts
to inform them that K-State is experiencing a sharp increase in botnet
attacks on university computers. More than 45 computers have already been blocked from the campus network.
A botnet is a collection of software
robots (or "bots" for short), which are installed and used without the
computer owner's knowledge. Botnets are often affiliated with trojans or worms, but can be
used in almost any type of malicious computer activity, including:
- Stealing your IDs, passwords, and financial information
- Monitoring your keystrokes
- Launching denial-of-service attacks
- Sending spam from your e-mail account
To avoid infecting your computer, following these simple rules:
- Don't click on any link received from friends through instant
messaging. Check with the sender before clicking on a link.
- Don't accept file transfers via instant messaging.
- Be wary of "away" messages with links.
For more information on protecting your computer from viruses, see K-State's
IT Security site. For assistance,
contact the K-State IT Help Desk at 532-7722, helpdesk@ksu.edu.
Adobe buying out Macromedia
by the editors, InfoTech Tuesday
published April 19, 2005
The big technology news this week is that Adobe is buying Macromedia, with the contract to close this fall.
See
"Adobe in $3.4 Bln Deal for Macromedia"
(reuters.com, April 18, 2005).
Microsoft releases new patches for Windows
by the K-State Security Incident Response Team
published April 19, 2005
Last week, Microsoft released new security updates for at least eight vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows.
All K-Staters need to link to Microsoft's
Windows Update service and
apply all critical patches. Summaries about the vulnerabilities can be found in Microsoft's
April 2005 security bulletin.
TechBytes April 22: Going wireless
by C. Rodriguez, Information Technology Assistance Center
published April 19, 2005
"Going wireless" is the Techbytes topic at 1:15 p.m. Friday, April 22,
in 501 Hale Library (Hemisphere Room). Interested in
learning more about wireless technology? Come learn how to set
up a complete home wireless system, including what tools to use
and what costs are involved to get you up and running.
For information about TechBytes, visit the TechBytes website.
HR's updated forms page includes IT Access forms
by K. Mauck, Division of Human Resources
published April 19, 2005
Human Resources is excited to announce its HR Forms webpage has been revised.
It incorporates the new TAB format to
offer forms by topic, form number, alphabetically, or by specific
category. It also includes the IT Access forms. "We hope you
like the new format and that this helps you find the forms quickly and
easily!" The HR Forms page is at www.ksu.edu/hr/forms.
CSS, Word are upcoming topics in Tips and Tricks
by C. Rodriguez, Information Technology Assistance Center
published April 19, 2005
In April, iTAC introduced its monthly "Tips and Tricks"
sessions on popular software used on campus. The April 20 session
will cover how to take a simple HTML list and
incorporate radically different display options using Cascading
Style Sheets. The session will be 1:30-2:30 p.m. in
301A Hale Library. As with last month's session, a short demonstration (10-15 minutes) will be followed by
discussion and a question/answer period. Participants are
encouraged to bring a CSS tip to share.
The May 18 session topic will be Word's style and formatting features. Did you
know that by using Word's style features, you can
automatically generate a table of contents based on the styles
in your document?
When you register
for a session, let us know if you have specific questions on CSS;
Microsoft Word styles and formatting features; or other topics.
Faculty: Tegrity Live demonstration April 26
by B. Vandiviere, iTAC/OME
published April 19, 2005
Have you ever wanted to stream an online lecture with video/audio/PowerPoint in
real-time? Tegrity Live integrates with Microsoft Office PowerPoint to do just
that. Using a web-based player, students are able to communicate with the
instructor via a built-in chat room or, using their own microphone, they can talk
real-time with the instructor.
Faculty are invited to learn more about this application on a come-when-you-want basis
from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. April 26 (Tue) in the K-State Student Union, rooms 205 (instructor
view) and 208 (student view). Technical support staff will be
available to discuss how to use this application to meet your teaching goals.
CHECK conference website online
by B. Edwards, Computing and Network Services
published April 19, 2005
The CHECK website recently became available at
www.check.gen.ks.us.
No session topics are listed yet for the June 20-21 Conference on Higher Education Computing in Kansas.
However, the site includes an online registration webpage;
maps and directions; lodging accommodations; and an outline of the program schedule.
This conference is open to all employees of higher education institutions in Kansas.
The fee is $65 per person, and the registration deadline is June 1.
| On the spot: IT questions from K-Staters |
by the K-State Security Incident Response Team
published April 19, 2005
Why are botnets reappearing at K-State?
In these latest incidents, the virus
plays off of recent events to trick instant-messenger users into clicking on a link, for
example "spring break photos" or "Mardi Gras photos". When someone
clicks on the link, the virus installs onto the computer, and the
process repeats itself using the buddy list.
Have a question or comment?
TellTuesday@ksu.edu.
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| Web watch |
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
by the editors, InfoTech Tuesday
published April 19, 2005. updated 8:54 a.m. April 20, 2005
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
opened last weekend in Springfield, Ill., and was dedicated today. This state-of-the-art facility
incorporates innovative technology,
including patented "holavision" which projects ghosts that interact with actors.
For more information about the opening, see
"Bush heralds Lincoln, dedicates library"
by ABCnews.com, April 19, 2005.
Find a good site? TellTuesday@ksu.edu.
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