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Recently, there has been a rash of new viruses spread through application files produced using Microsoft Office products. These are more contagious than some viruses because they spread through data (application) files rather than through executable program files. The viruses are created and spread using the Microsoft Office macro system. They can spread to any computer that runs these applications. The macro viruses can be sent via e-mail attachments and can spread like wildfire if undetected. Viruses of this type are common on campus, and everyone needs to take precautions to avoid catching and spreading these viruses.
One recent example of a Microsoft macro virus was the Melissa virus and its spin-off variants. Because the Office macro system is very powerful, it is also very vulnerable to manipulation and perversion. If you open a Microsoft Office file that contains macros, those macros could be instructions to modify your document, damage system files, or disable macro checking. This was one effect of the Melissa virus. Not only would Melissa send the current Word document (however sensitive it might be) to the first 50 people in your Outlook Addressbook, but it would turn off macro checking, and hide in your templates waiting for you to send an attachment to someone else at a later time. Even if you don't use Outlook, your system could be the platform for further outbreaks of this virus or others of this type.
How can you protect yourself from macro viruses?
1. If you have Microsoft Office 97 (or Office 98 for Macintosh), check every Microsoft Office 97/98 application installed on your computer to be sure that "Macro Virus Protection" is turned ON! This protection provides a prompt to allow you to disable macros when they are sensed. (No real virus detection or disinfection takes place.) To implement Office "Macro Virus Protection" (in Office 97/98):
a. Open the application
b. Click Tools-->Options-->click the "General" tab
(or Tools-->Preferences-->"General" tab on a Mac.)
c. Be sure there is a checkmark in the box next to "Macro Virus Protection." If not, click in the box to put a checkmark there. Recheck this setting every so often to be sure it has not been unset.
2. Install a good virus protection program, use it all the time, and keep it updated. The Seebeck Software Library (http://bama.ua.edu/~seebeck/software) contains a recent version of Dr. Solomon's AntiVirus Toolkit (for Windows computers) that any UA student, faculty, or staff member may download and install for office or personal use. For Mac users, the Software Library contains Virex, a powerful Macintosh virus product from Dr. Solomon's. If you have trouble downloading or installing the software, call the Helpdesk and ask someone to talk you through it. Upgrades come out frequently; check the site at least once a month for newer versions or update files.
A current, active virus program can detect a hidden virus in a file before it changes anything on your computer. If you have no virus protection, or if your virus program is not updated regularly, you risk losing files and information yourself and spreading damage to others. Viruses are wide spread and can be dangerous to your operating system, your application programs, and your data. Do not take an apathetic view of virus protection.
Q: Recently I received e-mail from several people telling me that Microsoft would send me (and them) money if I forwarded the mail to all my friends. This sounds too good to be true. Should I send this mail on? Or is this just a chain letter scam?
A: I think you read it correctly. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. In this case, yes it is just a chain letter. Microsoft is not going to send you money if you flood your friends' mailboxes with this stuff. Several people on campus received mail with this story about getting money from Microsoft. (There was a similar story about getting a free trip to Disney World). Some people forwarded it on to long lists of others, contrary to University computer use guidelines. In a few cases, computer privileges were suspended to bring the situation under control. In general, any mail of this type that urges you to pass it on to others is a chain letter and definitely is not something you want to spread. Sometimes this type of junk mail "warns" you about so-called viruses, and urges you to "warn" all your friends. Never forward mail of this type to your friends, it just contributes to the problem. If you receive mail of this type that also contains an attachment, don't open the attachment. Just delete the whole thing.
A false story of this type, spread on the Internet in such a way that many people believe it and help spread it, is sometimes called an "urban legend." If the story is about a bogus "virus", it is called a "virus hoax." For more information about junk mail of this type, you might want to visit one of these information sites: http://netsquirrel.com/combatkit or http://urbanlegends.about.com or a similar site with information about urban legends or bogus "virus" warnings. Remember, it is contrary to computer use guidelines to participate in "chain" letters or send excessive e-mail of this type.
Planning to use part of a copyrighted work in a class? Want to put a certain picture on your website, and unsure if "fair use" allows this use? All members of the University community are responsible for ensuring that their own uses of copyrighted images, text and other media comply with copyright law. The doctrine of "fair use" allows some use of parts of works for educational purposes, under certain conditions. Copyright law is complex, and certain "guidelines" have been written to assist educators in determining whether the use they wish to make of a copyrighted work is or is not allowed under copyright law or "fair use". Two articles you may find helpful in understanding these issues are "Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians" (Circular 21 from U.S. Copyright Office) and "Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia" (from The Consortium of College and University Media Centers). For a link to each of these works, visit the University Polices web page at http://www.ua.edu/policies.html. For links to additional guidelines and opinions on copyright issues, visit the Seebeck Computer Center copyright page at http://bama.ua.edu/~seebeck/copyright.html, or the Faculty Resource Center copyright page. (Editor's note: The Faculty Resource Center's copyright information has apparently been moved.)
If you thought your network connection to the world was slow last semester, you might be interested in some changes that are taking place right now. You may already be seeing the effects of some of these changes.
Internet: For many years, the campus connection to the Internet has been one "T1 line." (A "T1 line" has a data transfer rate of about 1.5 Megabits per second.) The University is working on an agreement to upgrade the campus Internet connection to part of a "T3 line." (A "T3 line" has a data transfer rate equal to 45 Megabits per second. The UA Internet connection will be a portion of one T3, equal to 12 Megabits per second.) Simply put, our Internet connection will soon have 8 times its current capacity. With a higher capacity to move information, the information you want should get to you faster.
Internet2: Internet2 is a group of research Universities and corporate partners who will be connected by a very high-speed network. Our Internet2 connection to some southeastern schools is already in place, and our connection to the entire Internet2 network should be complete soon. When complete, all traffic between UA and the other Internet2 schools will travel over the high speed Internet2 network, rather than the regular Internet. (Our connection to Internet2 has a data transfer rate of 155 Megabits per second, a rate called "OC3.")
On Campus: Improvements are also being made in the campus network. In particular, the network that connects the various department and college networks to the Computer Center (and to the world) is being upgraded. The first departments to notice the affects of this upgrade will be those areas funded through an NFS/Internet2 grant.
For more information about some of these changes, visit the campus Internet2 site at http://bama.ua.edu/~i2.