FAQ's

Spam is unwanted, unsolicited e-mail similar to junk mail you get in
your regular mail. The technical terms are Unsolicited Bulk e-mail
(UBE) and Unsolicited Commercial e-mail (UCE). Very often you won't
even see your own e-mail address on the TO: line as they send it to
one e-mail address and hide thousands of other e-mail addresses
behind it. You may think they didn't mean to send it to you, but
they did!

NEVER, EVER reply to a remove address. If the people sending you the
Spam were ethical individuals, they would not be invading your inbox
with their junk. Replying to a remove address does one thing:
confirms your e-mail address as legitimate so the Spammers can sell
your address to all their friends.

Spammers get your address in a variety of ways. If you sign up for
and use a file-sharing mechanism like Kazaa, your e-mail address
is likely to be sold. Even seemingly innocuous sites can turn
around and provide your e-mail to their advertisers, with the
result being that you begin receiving unsolicited e-mail messages
from them. Also, if you have your e-mail address on a Web page, it
is easy for unscrupulous advertisers (or worse) to search your Web
page for your e-mail address. It is unfortunately easy and very
inexpensive for these companies to send out huge volumes of Spam.

A black list identifies e-mail addresses that are likely Spam
sources and domains that are known to originate Spam. Many
anti-Spam software programs use black lists to control Spam by
refusing any e-mail that originates from one of these sources.
Black lists are usually maintained by anti-Spam organizations or
by individuals with an intense distaste for Spam.

As the name suggests, a 'white list' is the opposite of a black
list and contains details about addresses and domains that should
never be identified as Spam. For example, some users might receive
regular e-mail messages from a magazine that they have subscribed
to, that might otherwise get tagged as Spam.

A legitimate e-mail that is not delivered because Spam filters
incorrectly identified it as Spam mail.

Spammers use spoofing to make e-mail messages appear to have
originated from someone or somewhere other than the actual source.
It is done by using a fraudulent e-mail return address. Spam might
show the e-mail address of a legitimate company yet have a
completely different return address.

While spoofing is generally associated with Spam, it can be used
legitimately - for example to disguise your identity to send an
anonymous message as a "whistle-blower" who fears retaliation. It
should be noted, however, that spoofing anyone other than yourself
is illegal in some jurisdictions.

Phishing is a scam where a bogus e-mail masquerades as a message
from a real company. These usually direct recipients toward a
false Web site that looks identical to the real company's Web site
where the user is duped into entering private information such as
a credit card number. Many see phishing as crossing the line
between Spam as a nuisance and Spam as fraud. Common phishing
schemes mimic sites such as PayPal, eBay, and online banking
sites.

As of December 2004, our campus receives approximately 7,000 e-mail
messages each day.

The Network and Technology Department estimates that
50% of these messages are Spam.

Absolutely! In 2004 the e-mail borne Sobig.F variant became the
biggest and fastest-spreading e-mail virus on record. At its
worst, Sobig.F was responsible for nearly three-quarters of all
Internet e-mail traffic. Industry experts predict viruses and
worms are going to be larger, more sophisticated and more likely
to be sent by Spammers.

Unfortunately, YES. No anti-Spam solution will stop 100% of
unwanted messages without also preventing the delivery of valid
e-mail messages. To insure that valid messages are delivered, the
anti-Spam device is configured to block blatant Spam and deliver
suspected Spam. The [Suspected Spam] tag on the subject line of suspected Spam
can be used to further distinguish between valid messages and
probable Spam messages.

Every message that comes into the email system will be put through a
very thorough rating system and assigned a “SCORE”. Currently,
the recommended settings for the rating system are:
0.0 - 1.9 e-mail will be delivered as normal.
2.0 - 3.9 e-mail will be delivered as normal with [Suspected Spam] added to
the subject line.
> 5.0 e-mail will not be delivered.

Yes, we still need as much protection as possible against viruses.
It is possible for a virus to get to your PC from many sources,
not just via an e-mail message.

Spam is a waste. It wastes time, money, and other resources. It also
wastes bandwidth. Each e-mail takes up a nearly insignificant amount
of our bandwidth, but like pennies, they add up. Large amounts of
Spam can also cause our mail servers to crash due to having to deal
with more than is possible. Some Spams are scams, some are
pornography, some are virulent, and some are just designed to waste
your time.

Answer - Private computers or laptops are not allowed on the Shasta College Network. There are too many security and support concerns. Violators can have their network privileges revoked!

Answer - There are two ways to access your Shasta College email from an
off campus location.

1. Open your web browser and go to www.shastacollege.edu
2. Click in the A-Z Index in the green menu area (left side of main page).
3. Click on the "E".
4. Click on the link for "email access off campus-web outlook."
5. Type in your user name with the domain name (ie. shastacc\tharris) and then the password.

or

#2 - Use your browser
1. Open your web browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape)
2. Type the address in: http://mail.shastacollege.edu
3. Enter (shastacc\your username) in the space labeled Username.
4. Enter your password in the space labeled Password. Press return.

Your mailbox should now be open.

Someone has sent me a warning or information about a virus and how to delete it. What should I do?

Answer - If you believe you have information about a virus, please contact the Technology department. Your best advice about viruses will come from the Shasta College Technology Department. Please do not send out suspected virus information via distribution lists. The Technology Department will notify users with urgent virus information if necessary.

Answer - Call the help desk (225-4999) or email (helpdesk@shastacollege.edu). Once you place a call or email to the help desk, a technician will contact you. Trying to contact technicians directly slows down the response time to everyone.

Answer - Open Internet Explorer
Click on File (It’s on the menu bar at the top of the screen).
Select Import and Export
Click Next on the Welcome screen.
Select Export Favorites and click Next.
Favorites should be highlighted on the next screen. Click Next.
Change the location as shown below and click Next.

There is a message in my email that reads, “Outlook blocked access to the following potentially unsafe attachments: attachment name” or “”. Is my computer infected with a virus?

Answer - No. The first message means Outlook blocked a file that is a program. It may or may not be a virus but it has been blocked so it cannot be opened. The second message means the virus scanner stopped the virus on the server before you were able to open your email.

There should be no ill effects from the attachment in the email in either case.

What do I need to do before my computer’s operating system is to be upgraded?

Answer - Save the files you want to keep. This includes documents for Word (.doc), Excel (.xls), Powerpoint (.ppt), Adobe (.pdf), and Word Perfect Documents (.wpd).

We encourage people to use the H and I Drive to save their files for regular use. Files on H and I are backed up nightly.

What is spyware or adware?

Answer - Spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. Spyware is a program that is put in someone's computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Installing a new program from the internet can include spyware. Information is usually collected into a “cookie”. A cookie is a file placed on your computer by a website to remember browser settings and user information. Data collecting programs that are installed with the user's knowledge are not called spyware.

WARNING: Do not attempt to delete cookies off your computer without assistance! Most cookies are harmless and deleting them could cause problems!

Spyware Examples: Ad-Click, Double-Click

Adware is any software application in which advertising banners are displayed while the program is running. The authors of these applications include additional code that delivers the ads, which can be viewed through pop-up windows or through a bar that appears on a computer screen. The justification for adware is that it helps recover programming development cost and helps to hold down the cost for the user.

Adware Examples: Gator, Hotbar, Cydoor

Is there anything I can do to speed up my computer? It seems to be running slower.

Answer - There are a few things you can do to keep your computer running at an optimum level.

1. Run Disk Defragmenter – This takes a while to run so you may want to do this on the way to lunch.
2. Remove downloaded internet programs – Programs like Webshots, Precision Time and Weather Bug take up computer resources in order to run.
3. Save files to the H or I drive. Computer performance can degrade if the hard drive on your computer is running out of space.

Answer - After you log on to your computer:
1. Press the Ctrl, Alt and Delete buttons down at the same time
2. Click on the Change Password button
3. Enter in your current password as the “Old Password”
4. Type in the password you wish to use in the “New Password” field
5. Retype you new password in the “Confirm Password” field
6. Click on OK

File Sharing and File Sharing programs. Are they illegal?

Answer - File sharing programs are not illegal. How people use them is a different matter. Downloading or sharing of copyrighted material is illegal unless you have written consent of the owner. This includes, but is not limited to, music, videos/movies, pictures and written material. We discourage use of these programs on campus.

Popular File Sharing programs: Kazaa, Morpheous, Bear Share, WinMX, Imesh

Note: Many of these programs install Spyware or Adware as part of the File Sharing program. These can cause your computer to slow down.

Answer - Yes. The software is for Shasta College work only. When installing Office at home, there is no technical support provided. CD’s can be purchased through the Foundation for California Community Colleges.