:SecureIT!

Managed security provider MessageLabs reports that during March, 2010:

• Over 90% of all email messages were spam
• 1 in 358 email messages contained malware
• 1 in 513 email messages were phishing attacks

During April each year there is a marked increase in fraudulent email messages allegedly coming from the IRS, tax service providers, financial institutions, etc.

Please be extra vigilant about not opening any suspicious email messages.  If you receive anything that you are suspicious of please either delete the message or contact us at security@brandeis.edu.

Dennis Devlin
Chief Information Security Officer

George Moore
Information Security Architect

Brandeis University Library and Technology Services

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CNBC has an interesting article, How Privacy Vanishes Online.

How Privacy Vanishes Online discusses some of the various ways that information that is generally not considered Personally Identifiable Information (PII) can be (ab)used to find PII or potentially embarrassing information.

In addition to being careful disclosing your PII, it’s important to be wary of the “innocent” information you disclose online. Even information like where you like to go for dinner on Friday nights can be used to identify you.

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Brandeis has recently seen an increase in infections from a very malicious piece of software know as Torpig. The attackers behind Torpig are distributing this nasty program from specially crafted advertisements that appear on legitimate websites. Malicious advertisements have appeared on high profile sites such as newyorktimes.com, facebook.com, and careerbuilder.com.

Torpig searches the infected computer for credentials, accounts and passwords and sends them back to the attacker. It has been responsible for stealing over 500,000 bank account numbers and credit and debit card numbers worldwide.

There are some things that you can do to dramatically reduce your chances of being infected with Torpig, and we are requesting that every member of the Brandeis community follow these recommendations.

RECOMMENDED ACTION FOR YOU TO TAKE:
1. Use Firefox instead of any other web browsers.
2. Download and install the AdBlock Plus Add-on for Firefox.

Click here to see a video on how to install AdBlock Plus.

If you follow these steps you will protect yourself from the major way of getting infected with Torpig and significantly reduce potential risks to yourself and Brandeis.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Dennis Devlin
Chief Information Security Officer

George Moore
Information Security Architect

Brandeis University

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