Dan Albrich This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. Oregon Daily Emerald - University of Oregon news and sports - Computing Center stresses import of logouts

   www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/dis - [Cached]

   Published on: 3/31/2004   Last Visited: 4/1/2004

   With about a dozen shared computer labs on campus, students who fail to log out of their e-mail sessions put themselves at risk of someone else gaining access to their accounts, Microcomputer Service Manager Dan Albrich said.
   
   "It's just critical that we get people to log out," he said, adding that the problem can also happen with Yahoo!, Hotmail and Amazon.com accounts. "All users really should be logging out regardless of which system they use."
   
   He explained that sometimes when students are using shared computers, they assume closing a browser window, such as for Microsoft Internet Explorer, will automatically end the e-mail session. But with Macintosh computers in particular, users must quit the Web-browser program to end the session. If they only close the window but do not quit the program, another user could be directed to the last user's still-active session when attempting to log in.
   
   "They're still in the same session, and they (could) continue with that transaction as if they were you," Albrich said.
   ...
   Albrich has suggested that lab managers post signs in computer labs explicitly reminding students to log out of their accounts and quit the browsers they were using. He said the Computing Center is also working on a systematic change that will lessen the chance of someone accidentally viewing another person's inbox, but in the meantime, students should focus on logging themselves out.
   
   Currently, there is a default time-out of about 15 minutes, which students can make longer or shorter in their e-mail preference link. Students who find themselves thrown into someone else's account can simply click the logout link and return to the login screen, Albrich said.
   
   He said some students don't take the threat of identity theft seriously.
   
   "People have a false sense of security," he said, adding that many students often tell him they don't care if people read their e-mails.
   
   Albrich said, however, there is the possibility that people can do something illegal with someone else's account, such as sharing illegitimate software information or other copyrighted material.
   
   "An insidious person doesn't just want to read your mail," he said.
   ...
   But Albrich said the problem was likely the result of a virus Yezek's computer contracted through a previous e-mail. He said there are numerous viruses that can impersonate the sender of an e-mail, which makes it impossible to determine the real sender of a message.
   
   "I get virus-laden messages every day from my boss," Albrich said. He added there is no way to confirm who is really sending them.
   
   He said students should avoid opening e-mails from people they don't know and that prompt them to take an action, such as opening the attachment.
   
   Albrich suggested that when students send messages with important attachments they should call the receiver so the person knows it is safe to open.
   
   "Then you know it's intended to be an attachment," he said.
   
   Contact the higher education/ student life/student affairs reporter at chelseaduncan@dailyemerald.com.