Tag: Google

Use of Mass Email Platforms Changing

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Sending bulk emails through third-party email marketing platforms (e.g., Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Brevo) will require UF departments to act before February 1, 2024.

Google and Yahoo recently announced new email authentication and spam-prevention policies.  Beginning February 1, 2024, both email providers will begin blocking and aggressively filtering incoming email traffic that doesn’t meet domain authentication and procedural requirements.

What does this mean for UF?

Many UF administrative divisions, colleges, and units use third-party apps to keep stakeholders informed. This is often done with a visually attractive newsletter or e-Card format. Third-party apps are also used to send bulk emails for surveys, ticket sales and event announcements, and appointment reminders.  Any unit using an email marketing program to send mass marketing emails to the UF community or to externally-focused stakeholders need to refer to the vendor’s documentation on domain authentication (or DKIM) and work with UFIT to complete the domain authentication process prior to Feb. 1.  The steps required to comply with Google’s and Yahoo’s new policies on domain authentication vary by the bulk-mail application used.

If you are using an app (such as Constant Contact or a Microsoft Mail-Merge plug-in) where you type in a personal or a college/department.ufl.edu, address as the “From” address, then you will need to verify that domain authentication is in place to meet Google’s and Yahoo’s new requirements.  Otherwise, intended recipients whose emails end with gmail.com, googlemail.com, or yahoo.com may not receive what you send. Again, refer to the vendor’s documentation on domain authentication (or DKIM) and work with UFIT to complete the domain authentication process before you begin creating that next issue of your newsletter or developing a new survey. For additional assistance in clarifying steps about bulk email, submit a myIT ticket to the Help Desk and UFIT will provide expert consultation.

Please refer to the Google and Yahoo announcements for detailed technical information about authentication requirements. While acknowledging that bulk mail applications are popular because they enable staff to design and deploy visually beautiful emails, issues about deploying mass emails within the university community can easily be overcome by creating a UF listserv. Visit https://lists.ufl.edu/ and use the “Request creation of a new mailing list” link to create a new list. It is also recommended that applications used to create content and store UF email addresses be pre-approved for use. Faculty and staff can check what mass mailing applications are approved for university use on the Fast Path Solutions website.

Cloud Storage Options for UF

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UFIT is hosting a campus Cloud Fair on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. This online event will be an opportunity to learn about UF-provided cloud options (including research alternatives) as well as hear from the three leading cloud providers: Amazon Web Services, Azure, and Google Cloud Services.

UFIT Cloud Fair
Wednesday, March 29
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Via Zoom

Email it-comm@ufl.edu to reserve a space. Your reservation will be confirmed upon receipt, and you’ll also receive an email the day before the event with the Zoom link.

Cloud Fair will help faculty and staff become aware of the UFIT services to architect IT solutions that comply with the forthcoming IT Rationalization policy. A primary goal of the new policy is to ensure that UF data and intellectual property are protected and secure. One facet of the policy states that UFIT’s Cloud Enablement team is required to approve and assist with the provisioning of compute and storage IT resources by anyone in the university community, including those using public cloud services. For inquiries about the storage and compute options offered by UFIT, please contact Associate Director Barry Kinter.

Learn How Doxxing Attacks Work

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Recently, news outlets reported threats to a U.S. Supreme Court justice. What began as a social media attack became potentially a physical assault. This type of attack is called “doxxing.” Doxxing is defined as publicly revealing previously private information about an individual or organization, usually via the internet.

Doxxing attacks often focus on a journalist or public figure–like a faculty member–over something they have written. An individual or group opposed to what’s published can severely disrupt the author’s life, and in extreme cases their safety is threatened. Doxxing frequently results in abusive phone calls and text messages, sometimes in conjunction with a social media campaign or series of emails designed to harass and intimidate the writer.

The first step to protecting yourself against doxxing is to find out what information about you is publicly available. Conduct online searches in multiple browsers (e.g., Google, Firefox, Safari) and find out what others can see. Then, request removal of private information you find listed on any website. Also, be careful what you share on social media, especially information that could be used to find you or your family, such as location data in photos or posts. The most important step is to secure all your accounts with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication whenever possible. Visit UF’s Information Security Office “Protect My…” webpage and learn more about keeping personal information private.