June 25, 2012
Advice for email invitation to College Collaborative Networks
Submitted by Cindy Hollingsworth
K-State faculty and staff are advised to ignore recently received emails inviting them to accept a "free membership" to College Collaborative Networks or Wildcats Collaborative Networks. The emails announce that "College Collaborative Networks are now open for Wildcats to join," however very limited information is available about the service or the organization behind it.
According to Harvard Townsend, chief information security officer, the site appears to be "yet another social networking startup company trying to fit a niche," and while it doesn't seem to be malicious, it should not be used for any official university work. He also suggests avoiding it for unofficial use as well.
Information technology services offers these reminders for email users:
- Be skeptical of everything in your email inbox
- Emails from official sources will never ask you for your eID password
- Check the "reply-to address"
- Check the links for authenticity
- Report any questionable emails to abuse@k-state.edu
For assistance and information on computer security issues, the first point of contact is the IT Help Desk: 785-532-7722 or helpdesk@k-state.edu. Additional information can be found at http://www.k-state.edu/its/security.