Tag: UF email

Connecting Students with Tech Resources

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UF Information Technology (UFIT) hosted its annual Tech Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 28. Tech Fair allows students to explore various free campus tech resources and services available, regardless of major. Among the resources for students to discover this year were AI tools for building e-portfolios, AI prompts for effective studying, and the Career Connections Center’s AI resume-reviewing tool, Quinncia.

Camila Diaz-Borges, a classical studies freshman, said she left Tech Fair with a deeper understanding of the AI certificate offered to UF students after speaking with Career Connections Center staff.

“I think I might apply for the AI certificate now that I know more about it,” Diaz-Borges said.

Students explored equipment available to check out from the George A. Smathers Libraries and how to make the most of their free, UFIT-provided LinkedIn Learning subscription. Students also had a chance to learn what IT training is offered by UFIT and Help Desk staff were also providing on-site IT assistance.

Rachael Yacuzzo, a junior history and women’s studies double major, stopped by the ONE.UF booth, where students were encouraged to share what improvements should be made to the mobile app.

“Something that I found really troublesome with the app was that I could never [open] my degree audit on it, so I’m glad they asked for feedback,” Yacuzzo said.

Computer science graduate student Nicholas Sily and general business freshman Jenna Vell said the range of equipment available to rent from Smathers Libraries caught their interest.

“I’m really impressed with the video-filming equipment that students can check out from the libraries,” Sily said.

“We’re learning about 3-D printing in class, so it’s great to know we have 3-D printing services right here in Marston,” Vell said.

This year’s event tracked 523 student interactions. For any questions about the 2024 Tech Fair, email UFIT Communications at it-comm@ufl.edu.

The Institutional Impacts of a Cyberattack

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Higher education is facing an exponentially growing threat: Cyberattacks. Check Point Software reports educational institutions experienced an average of 2,507 cyberattack attempts per institution per week in the first three months of 2023 alone! Universities and colleges are at a high risk of suffering a data breach or a ransomware attack because the amount and types of data created and stored is extremely valuable to cybercriminals–data like student records, banking information, protected health information, and research data. Restricted data falling into the wrong hands can be devastating for UF, its constituents, to university business partnerships, and for funding from federal and state agencies. The welfare of the campus community and even our recruitment capabilities are all on the line.

Information security is our shared responsibility! Faculty, students, and staff must all be aware of what’s at stake, and do their part to help protect UF from cyberattacks. According to a 2023 IBM Security report, data breaches initiated through compromised credentials (such as GatorLink login information) take the longest for institutions to resolve and can be incredibly costly. Help prevent data breaches by practicing caution when opening any email received in your GatorMail marked [EXTERNAL EMAIL]. These emails come from outside the UF organization and could potentially be phishing attempts. Pay close attention to any email requesting your GatorLink login or other personally identifiable information, and report suspicious messages directly to UFIT with the phish alert report button in the top right corner of your GatorMail.

UFIT’s Information Security Office’s website has recently refreshed its online presence with new resources. Take some time to visit https://security.ufl.edu/protect-yourself/social-engineering/ and learn about different types of cyberattacks and some best practices for protecting yourself…and UF.

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.

Phishing vs. Spam

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Most of us receive phishing and spam email daily. Phishing emails are intentionally deceptive and designed to scam personal information by impersonating known organizations, people, or companies. Spam emails are unsolicited junk emails that contain commercial or sometimes misleading information and are sent frequently, even from legitimate company or organizational email addresses.

Unlike emails sent legitimately from companies or organizations, phishing attempts often begin with impersonal greetings, such as “Dear Client,” instead of addressing you by name. They also frequently contain grammar or spelling errors and urge you to click on a malware-infected link. Always hover your mouse over a link to see if it leads to the intended site or use the URL Decoder on mail.ufl.edu. Spam emails don’t have as many defining characteristics, but they are usually advertisements sent frequently to alert recipients of sales, or that urge you to do something, like completing a survey or visiting a website.

You should always report phishing emails received in your UF GatorMail email. Also, you may be able to cut down on the amount of spam you receive by unsubscribing from company and organizational marketing emails. Students, faculty, and staff can use the Phish Alert Button in their GatorMail to report phishing attempts. For spam emails, unsubscribe from all of the sender’s communications by looking for an “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the email (usually in small text) of each spam message received.

Learn more about email safety: https://security.ufl.edu/resources/email-safety/.

Email Encryption Options in GatorMail

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GatorMail’s security features like the phish alert button, spam folder, and email encryption help protect users from cyberthreats and provide a secure email experience. GatorMail email encryption is a proactive way to require authentication, protecting sensitive or restricted information from being seen by unauthorized viewers. Note that encryption options are only available for UF community members who have the Outlook desktop app or its web client version run from a computer. Neither Outlook’s mobile client or the web version when being used on a mobile device offer the encryption options.

GatorMail offers four encryption options:
● Encrypt Only: Encrypts email contents and may require authentication to read
● Do Not Forward: Prevents recipients from forwarding the email
● UF Confidential: Allows recipients to modify content but blocks copy/print privileges
● UF Confidential – View Only: Read-only permission for the recipients

UFIT has screen captures showing step-by-step visuals for encrypting emails. Encrypting an email means its contents are only readable by the person you sent it to, and cannot be intercepted. Faculty and staff who would like assistance with GatorMail are welcome to call (352-392-HELP/4357), email, or visit (132 Hub) the UFIT Help Desk.

Updated Info Security Training for 2023

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Just in time for the new academic year! UF’s Information Security Office has updated its mandatory annual training. Faculty and staff will receive an email reminder on their one-year anniversary of their previous training completion date, but can take the training any time. There are six modules in the training and they take approximately 35-45 minutes to complete. Visit this page to take the training.

The number one cause for compromised GatorLink accounts is when a student, faculty, or staff member opens and responds to a phishing email.

Students can take the phishing module that’s part of the full training. The stand-alone phishing module is a great way to become better informed about how cyber-criminals operate. Now that you’ll be interacting with campus departments and faculty (who cyber-criminals will try to impersonate), students are strongly encouraged to learn how phishing works. Students can find the link to the phishing module training in the ONE.UF menu. The 15-20 minutes you invest in taking the phishing training can pay off in a big way when you learn how to spot and report malicious emails, instead of opening one and inadvertently bringing on a world of hurt on yourself…and potentially your university.

Changes Coming to GatorMail – Nov. 1

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On November 1, changes will be made to improve the security of UF GatorMail. UFIT will implement Microsoft 365 features into email, including how faculty and staff manage spam. With these updates, for the first time students can use a spam filter with their UF email. The bullets listed below detail the changes included in this effort. More information on how to work with the new quarantine, spam, and the block/allow features are on the GatorMail website.

• Starting November 1, spam quarantine notification emails will come from quarantine@messaging.microsoft.com, rather than proofpoint-pps@ufl.edu
• The web portal URL for managing quarantine emails is located at https://security.microsoft.com/quarantine
• The Microsoft spam filter can be used to manage the blocking and allowing of senders through options in Outlook. Everything is all in one application, instead of a separate service

For more information, please visit the GatorMail how to check for spam webpage. Your local IT support can also assist you, as well as the UF Computing Help Desk (352-392-HELP/4357, helpdesk@ufl.edu).

IT Info Page for New Students

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Want to know what the student tech requirements are for UF? Learn them and be prepared for Gator academic life by visiting UFIT’s student resources site.

Bookmark the site to easily access information about technology services and systems, including:

• UFIT Help Desk location and services
• UF Canvas e-Learning system, used for most courses
• UF email (GatorMail) assistance and how to get GatorMail on your phone
• Where to get a Gator 1 Card (your campus ID)
• Location of labs and learning spaces and what each space has available
• Establishing two-factor authentication (2FA) for UF accounts
• How to make the most of ONE.UF

UFIT wants to help students get a smooth start to academic life. Anyone experiencing a technical issue with their GatorLink account, having an eduroam internet connection issue, or other campus IT need may call (352-392-HELP/4357) or visit (132 Hub) the UFIT Help Desk. Help Desk in-person walk-in hours are posted here.

Here for You: The UFIT Help Desk

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The UF Computing Help Desk, also known as the UFIT Help Desk, will assist you with a variety of technical support needs. Consultants can also connect you with the appropriate UFIT group, or college or department IT staff if a technical problem requires more in-depth analysis to fix. There are multiple ways to get help whether you are in Gainesville, at an off-campus research facility, or a distance learning student:

Call: 352-392-HELP/4357
Email: helpdesk@ufl.edu
Visit: 132 Hub
Submit a Ticket: https://my.it.ufl.edu/

Several self-help resources are online as well, like instructions for updating your GatorLink password, campus connectivity tips, and GatorMail email troubleshooting. Some of the most popular reasons for contacting the UFIT Help Desk are:

• Technical Consulting: Connectivity assistance to the UF Network or UF’s VPN. Consultants will also help with UF email configuration and GatorLink authentication issues
• Software Sales: Faculty, students, and staff can save up to 80% on software titles, including Adobe, Grammarly, and SPSS
• Support for Administrative Computing: Get questions answered about using myUFL, ONE.UF, and other campus-wide systems
• Electronic Thesis & Dissertation Support: Graduate students can schedule appointments for formatting and submission help
• e-Learning Assistance: Help with UF’s online academic environment, including Canvas, Turnitin, Respondus, iClicker, and Qualtrics
• Account Services: The primary reason Gators contact the UFIT Help Desk! Consultants can fix GatorLink account lockout issues 24/7