Information Technology Services is trying to prevent viruses from infecting students' computers through their UNM e-mail accounts.
To prepare for National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which begins in October, ITS held Security Days events last week, where students learned to protect their computers and had their laptops checked at a wellness clinic.
UNM spokeswoman Vanessa Baca said students need to be cautious of e-mails they receive. She said students should never open an e-mail from an unknown sender.
"We have a really good spam blocker here at UNM, and it does block thousands of spam e-mails per day," Baca said. "But once in a while, some does get through."
Baca said UNM does not send students e-mails to confirm or update their personal information. If students are unsure whether an e-mail was sent from UNM, they can contact the ITS Support Center for confirmation, she said.
ITS sees an increase in phishing and scam e-mail attempts at the beginning of each semester, Baca said.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
This fall, several students received e-mails from a false Bank of America Web site asking students to click on a link and enter personal information into a form, she said.
"There weren't any security issues related to that in the sense that nobody fell for it, but that's an example of things we filter out every single day," Baca said.
Student Kate McMartin said she is careful about what e-mails she opens but got a virus on her PC that caused it to run programs slowly.
She said she might have gotten the virus through her inbox.
"I definitely delete (e-mails) if I don't know what they are or if I don't recognize the address," McMartin said.
She said she bought a new computer and protected it by installing the virus protection software that came with it.
Baca said students are sometimes duped by phishing and scam e-mails, and this puts them at risk for identity theft.
Michael Carr, UNM's chief information security officer, said identity theft is a bigger threat than students think.
An Australian study showed 90 percent of 16 to 24 year olds have not taken steps to prevent identity theft, though there are simple things students can do to protect themselves, Carr said.
If an e-mail has a link attached, students should not click on the link, Baca said. Instead they should open a new window and type the link into the address bar.
"What (scam artists) do is attach their false Web site in the e-mail, and students click on it and it will take them to the fake Web site," Baca said. "It will look like a real Web site, but, more often than not, it's asking them to give personal information."
Paying close attention to Web addresses is important in being able to spot a fake site, he said.
"Most people don't even pay attention anymore to what their own bank or credit union address is," Carr said. "People don't know if it's Bank of America or Bank America. They don't pay attention sometimes, so how do you know if it's a fake one when you don't pay attention to the good ones?"
If students are having problems with their computers or think they may have a virus, they can visit the ITS office for a wellness check.
To receive free protection software for your computer, visit the ITS Web site at Its.unm.edu/security/malware.html.
