Protect Yourself: Methods to Protect your SMU Accounts and Data

We’ve all been there. After a long busy day in classes you rush to print out that big project at the library. Your class is just five minutes away, so you rush away without logging off of the public computer. We always like to think of our fellow classmates as trustworthy and caring people, but with security breaches on the rise, it’s best to take every precaution possible when using your SMU account.

News articles constantly talk about “hackers” gaining passwords to an individual’s account. One of the most recent victims was none other than CIA director John Brennan. The high-schooler that “hacked” Mr. Brennan’s personal AOL account didn’t really use any hacking or technical expertise to get access to the account; he just simply acted as if he was Mr. Brennan during a fake technical support call. Many other examples include nefarious individuals simply calling people asking for their passwords. This makes it extremely important to keep your personal information private and to never offer it to others.

The best way to keep your SMU information yours is to always fully log out of any services you use when you’ve finished using them. Always log out completely from any public computers on or off campus to prevent anyone from walking up and accessing your information. Most public computers on campus are set to completely wipe any information saved on them when restarted.  Restarting the computer, if possible, would be the most secure option.

Here’s a few other quick tips that can make your account more secure:

  • Use a PIN or touch pattern to lock your smart phone or tablet. The longer and more complex the better!
  • Use a password manager like LastPass, 1Password or KeePass to save your passwords securely and to generate random and secure passwords automatically.
  • NEVER give your password to anyone, even if asked by someone saying they provide technical support.
    For example, the SMU Help Desk will never ask you for your password, so if anyone claims they are from SMU and asks for your password, end the conversation and contact the Office of Information Technology immediately!
  • Don’t leave your personal devices logged on and unattended. Not only could the devices be physically stolen, but the perpetrator can also steal your information. If you must leave your device, make sure it’s at least locked.

By following these tips, you can help make your information even safer from the threat of cyber attacks. If you have any questions on how to stay secure, call the Help Desk at 214-SMU-HELP or drop us a line at help@smu.edu.

Mathematica 10 in Education and Research

MathmaticaSMU Physics will be hosting a “Mathematica 10 in Education and Research” seminar on Tuesday, November 17, 2015 from 4:00-5:00 in Heroy, Room 153. This talk illustrates capabilities in Mathematica 10 and other Wolfram technologies that are directly applicable for use in teaching and research on campus. Topics of these technical talks include:

  • Enter calculations in everyday English, or using the flexible Wolfram Language
  • Visualize data, functions, surfaces, and more in 2D or 3D
  • Store and share documents locally or in the Wolfram Cloud
  • Use the Predictive Interface to get suggestions for the next useful calculation or function options
  • Access trillions of bits of on-demand data
  • Use semantic import to enrich your data using Wolfram curated data
  • Easily turn static examples into mouse-driven, dynamic applications
  • Access 10,000 free course-ready applications
  • Utilize the Wolfram Language’s wide scope of built-in functions, or create your own
  • Get deep support for specialized areas including machine learning, time series, image processing, parallelization, and control systems, with no add-ons required

Current users will benefit from seeing the many improvements and new features of Mathematica 10, but prior knowledge of Mathematica is not required.

How do I change my greeting in the voice mail system?

Exchange Unified Messaging Tips & Tricks
Campus voice mail is provided by Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging (UM). A common question is, “How do I record a custom voice mail greeting?” UM offers a few options, including allowing separate greetings for when you are away from the office.

Please note: The online option (Outlook/Webmail) is not available for departmental (shared) accounts. These accounts must always be updated by phone. If you cannot recall your PIN, please contact the OIT Help Desk and a temporary PIN will be generated for you.

To change your greeting:

In Microsoft Outlook:

  1. Click File -> Manage Voice Mail, and logon to the web interface.
  2. Click Greetings
  3. Click “Call me to play or record the selected greeting…”
  4. Enter your phone number and click “Call.”
  5. You will receive a call which will allow you to record your greeting.

There are multiple other configuration options available from this screen as well.

In Webmail:

You can get to the same screen above by logging on to webmail.smu.edu/owa.

  1. Click the gear icon -> options.
  2. Click Greetings.
  3. Click “Call me to play or record the selected greeting…”
  4. Enter your phone number and click “Call.”
  5. You will receive a call which will allow you to record your greeting.

Via Phone:

You can also change your greeting by phone.

  1. Call 214-768-8673.
  2. Enter your 5-digit extension and your PIN, and then say “personal options” at the voice prompt.
  3. Press 2 and you can record your new greeting.

The prompts will walk you through these steps when you dial the number.

Updated 07/10/2017: Include updated instructions for the new system.

Thinking of Using SMU Email for Your Marketing? Think Again.

Private Tutor Email
With over 11,000 students available to you through the Outlook address book, you might think this is a great group to market your services or product. They are SMU students. You are an SMU student. You have that natural connection and why wouldn’t they like the bag you designed on Etsy that is perfect for Boulevarding. Or maybe you speak four languages and really could help that struggling student in German – if they only knew you were available. The problem occurs when you click that send button. At that point, your email becomes a violation of SMU policy and that can cause problems for you.

As George Finney, Chief Security Officer at Southern Methodist University, explains, “This is a violation of our bulk email policy and it also uses SMU resources for a commercial venture… As a non-profit, SMU’s tax-exempt status requires us to not allow this.” If you are found in volition, OIT will prevent further email distribution by you, and block access from campus to any 3rd party email address listed in the message. You basically get marked as a spammer. Also, your account will be reviewed and if further action is warranted, it will be taken.

If you have questions about email policy, please feel free to contact the Help Desk at 214-768-HELP. For more information on University policies, please review the official University Policy Manual at smu.edu/policy.

IT Connect is published by the Office of Information Technology at Southern Methodist University.


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