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Information Security
Mission
The mission of Valdosta State University’s Information Security Services is:
- Ensuring the ability of Valdosta State University to grow and fulfill its mission in the face of an ever changing risk environment.
- Aiding the University in advancing a technologically sound education medium.
- Maintaining the role of an active and responsible participator in the Internet world.
- Ensuring the integrity of the University’s technology based teaching medium
The Information Security Department strives towards these goals by implementing, measuring and continuing to promote user awareness in the field of information security. The purposes of these goals are to strengthen the resilience of the University by limiting the effect of security related exposures through creating and maintaining policies and procedures to ensure business continuity. Developing and nourishing plans and methods for becoming both proactive and effectively reactive to threats that endanger the strategic plans of the University and the University system is ultimately the purpose for such endeavors.
Remote Deskop
Faculty and staff wishing to establish network connections originating from off campus (e.g., remote desktop) must complete the request form titled Request for External Network Connection prior to attempting connection.
Security Notices
December '08 - urgent
A recent zero-day exploit was discovered which affects Internet Explorer users. This exploit is currently affecting a growing list of websites on the Internet. Visiting an affected website can result in a full compromise of your computer. At this time, Information Security is recommending that you immediately install the Microsoft update which addresses this exploit. You may also wish to use an alternate browser that should already be installed on your VSU-owned computer - Mozilla Firefox. You can find the download for this browser and other recommended software here. These same steps should be applied to any home computer(s) that you may have.
More information on this vulnerability can be read on Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-078
Additionally, Mozilla Firefox has recently released a patch to close up a similar exploit that allows an attacker to remotely install software and/or run malicious code. Please ensure that you have the latest version of Firefox by click on Help (located to the right of Tools) then selecting Check for Updates. Alternatively, you can download the latest version of Firefox here. At the time of this notice, the latest version was 3.0.5.
Note: there are some users that may need to install the latest version of Firefox version 2 (2.0.0.19) instead of version 3 because of compatibility issues with some VSU-related resources (e.g. WebCT Vista). If this is applicable to you, you can find the latest update for version 2 here. Please be advised that Firefox intends on releasing only one more update for version 2 (2.0.0.20) sometime on the 19th or the 22nd of this month. After this update, no more updates will be offered for version 2.
June '08
Some students, faculty, or staff may have received an email recently with a subject " VERIFY YOUR VALDOSTA.EDU WEBMAIL ACCOUNT". The contents of this email requested user information ranging from one's username, password, security question/answer. The sender of this email claimed that the information was needed to verify that one's email address was still in use.
Users need to be aware that no representative of Valdosta State University should ever request any of your passwords. If valid access is required to your account(s) an authorized representative will notify you, change your password and access your account. You will thereby know that your account has been modified simply by the password change and the previous notification. You will then need to work with this representative to change your password to something only you know.
Review our section on Phishing in our FAQs for more information.