Beware of e-mail scams, phishing attempts E-mail scams and phishing attempts continue to be directed at email users across the country. Some attempts are directed at students, faculty, and staff members at colleges. In these cases, the account holder receives e-mail messages that look like they come from the university's help desks or system administrators. The email asks users to reply with their log-in/username and password and in some cases other personal information including birth date. These messages actually come from malicious hackers who use the information to send spam messages from the accounts. Unauthorized access or compromised accounts could be used to do further damage to the university networks or the account holder. As a safety precaution you should never provide your account password to anyone. If you need to provide personal information for verification purposes, you should call the Help Desk instead of using email. You should also keep your antivirus software current. If you are using Windows XP or Vista and the McAfee software provided by the university then the most recent version is 8.7. For more information about the McAfee antivirus software please go to http://www.und.nodak.edu/dept/itss/security/ Keep your Windows updates current. Microsoft releases patches/fixes for the Windows operating system in the form of updates. Your computer should be set to download and install these updates automatically. Information on checking the settings can be found at http://www.und.nodak.edu/dept/itss/security/ under 3 steps to protect your computer. If you are a victim of phishing, please change your password immediately and contact the ITSS Help Desk. Please contact the ITSS Help Desk at ITSSHelp@mail.und.edu or 701-777-2222 if you have questions. -- Information Technology Systems and Services, (701)777-2222, ITSSHelp@mail.und.nodak.edu.