The beginning of a new semester is often full of frenzied activity for UNM students, faculty and staff. Between starting new classes, settling into a new schedule and routine, and getting to know fellow students, fellow professors and colleagues, it is easy to get caught up in all the commotion.

Unfortunately, this time also often brings an increase in spam e‐mail and hacker attempts, as spammers send out mass e‐mails asking for personal information or by embedding viruses in attached hyperlinks.  Encourage your student to protect both personal information and the UNM network by following a few simple rules.

•  If your student does receive a message he or she thinks is spam, forward it to spamdrop@​unm.​edu.

 • Don’t click on hyperlinks within e‐mail messages — this is a primary way that hackers spread viruses and spyware.

 • Don’t open e‐mail from people or sources you don’t know, and don’t download files sent by strangers.

 • Students should not respond to any e‐mail that asks for your date of birth, UNM NetID and/or password, or Social Security number. Many hackers send out mass e‐mails pretending to be from UNM’s IT Department, but IT will never send you an e‐mail asking anyone to provide personal information. If in doubt, delete the e‐mail and contact the IT Support Center at 277‑4848.

• Make sure your student has a firewall and antivirus software on their computer. UNM provides Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) antivirus software to all UNM students at no cost. Your student can visit Symantec Endpoint Protection to get a free copy of of the software.

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