Informations Systems department makes improvements: one password, less spam

The Information Systems department at Wake Forest University has made two recent improvements for Wake Forest computer users: synchronized passwords and new anti-spam software.

On Sept. 29, users were able to begin using one password to log onto WIN, the ThinkPad, the campus network and e-mail. Users can follow the instructions at http://techtalk.wfu.edu to set up a synchronized password. The instructions include tips for selecting a password.

Information Systems has also installed a new anti-spam program designed to eliminate most of the spam campus e-mail users receive. It will start operating Oct. 5.

Called Sophos PureMessage, the software program scans all incoming e-mail to Wake Forest addresses for viruses and spam. E-mails containing viruses will be deleted immediately. E-mail messages that look like spam are quarantined rather than going to the user’s inbox.

The e-mail message is first scanned for viruses. If the e-mail is not a virus, it is scanned by a filter and tagged with a spam score from 0-100. If the e-mail’s spam score is between 96 and 100, the e-mail is deleted. If the e-mail’s spam score is between 50 and 95, it is quarantined for two weeks and then automatically deleted. If the e-mail’s spam score is 49 or less, the e-mail is delivered to the user’s inbox.

Campus computer users will be able to extend the time a message is quarantined, block a sender and unblock a sender. They can also request a daily digest of all messages that have been quarantined and access messages that have been quarantined before they are deleted. Users can access their PureMessage account online at http://puremessage.wfu.edu.

For answers to frequently asked questions and/or a complete user’s guide, Wake Forest computer users can go to http://techtalk.wfu.edu.